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They had played they were Indians.’ 





Roger Rose 

AND OTHER STORIES 


BY 

KATHARINE BEEBE 

Author of "‘Home Occupations for Little Children^ etc. 

ILL USTRA TED B V 

KATHARINE H. GREENLAND 


AKRON, OHIO 

THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY 

CHICAGO 1903 new YORK 



the library of 

CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 

AUG 8 '903 

Copyrigiit Entry 
OU/t^ev. S'- / C 
CLASS XXc. No. 

U U 0 "h i 

COPY B. 


1>2t 

Ro 


Copyright, 1903, 

BY 

THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY 


• •• ♦ • 

• • • 1 

• • • • • 

• • • • 

• •• • •• • 


• ••• 
• • • • 

• • • •♦ • 

• • • • 

• # • • ♦ • 



9 •• 
9 
9 9 


MADE BY 

THE WERNER CO. 
AKRON, OHIO 


CONTENTS 


ROGER AND ROSE page 

Roger and Rose 15 

A Hallow-E’en Story 16 

A School Thanksgiving 20 

A School Sparrow 24 

A Cat Story 27 

The Birds’ Christmas Tree 31 

A Cat’s Christmas Tree 34 

A Christmas Surprise 37 

The Little Sugar House 42 

The Firemen 46 

The Story of a Great Fire 50 

Two Little Knights 56 

Tree Planting 63 

Fish and Frogs * . . 65 

Roger’s Aquarium 68 

Rose’s Vegetable Garden 71 

Playing Robinson Crusoe 74 

Playing Indian 77 

Roger and Rose in Camp 80 

Roger in the Woods 84 

[■>1 ' 


CONTENTS 


BIRD STORIES page 

The First Birds 91 

Wild Geese 94 

Crows 96 

Ricebirds . 99 

Warblers loi 

Birds’ Nests 103 

A Bobolink’s Nest 107 

Robin Roosts no 

The Last Birds 113 

Winter Birds 115 

House Birds. 117 

OUT-DOOR STORIES 

Wild Flowers 123 

Tree Blossoms 125 

Making a Garden 128 

Toads . . . . .131 

Japanese Flowers 133 

Weeds . . . 136 

Butterflies 140 

Bees 143 

Dragon-Flies . 146 

Grasshoppers . . 149 

Crickets 152 


[ 6 ] 


CONTENTS 


OUT-DOOR STORIES — Continued: page 

Katydids 154 

Squirrels 156 

Reindeer 159 

STORIES OF OUR COUNTRY 

Thanksgiving Day ... 163 

The Pilgrims in Holland 165 

The Pilgrims at Sea 169 

The Indians 172 

Plymouth Colony 174 

The First Thanksgiving 176 

A Story of Abraham Lincoln . . . .178 

A Story of George Washington . . .180 

Up Mount Washington 182 


[7] 





ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

They Had Played They Were Indians . Frontispiece 

Roger 13 

Rose 14 

Faithful Little Rose Stayed by Him all Day . 16 

The Cat’s Christmas Tree 34 

They Let Their Pails Down into the Water . 69 
Roger Came Out to See What She Was Doing 72 
The Children Paddled About near the Shore . 81 

How Glad We Are When We Hear the First 

Robin of the Season 91 

Look for Orioles’ Nests ........ 105 

Delightful Books 118 

Buttercups and Cowslips Are Plenty . . . .123 

The Dog and the Toad 132 

Japanese Flowers 133 

Watch Them Yourself .140 

They Are Sometimes Afraid of Them . . . .147 

The Children Skate to School 167 

The Children Gathered Nuts in the Woods . 176 
Up in Time to See the Sun Rise 184 

[9] 



ROGER AND ROSE 



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ROGEE AND ROSE 



R oger and Rose are brother 
and sister. Roger is eight 
years old and Rose is six. 
They are both in the Second 
Grade and in the same room 
at school, but Roger is in 
what is called ‘^the ad- 
vanced second.” 

They were in the coun- 
try part of the summer, 
visiting their grandmother. 
The rest of the time they 
were in their own home in 
the city. They live near 
a large park, and often go 
there to play. They have 
a small but pleasant back- 
yard. In it are a maple tree, 
some flowers, and grass. 

While they were in the country they col- 
lected as many things as they could to bring 


[13] 


PC0©C5) 


EOGER AND ROSE 



back to school. They knew their teacher 
would be glad to have them. 

These are the things which they had to 
share with the other children, 
many of whom had not been out 
of the city at all. 

/. A large hunch of milk- 
'Weed pods. 

2 . A 7'obiii's nest, 
j. An oriole'^ s nest, 
p A g7'ound-sp arrow’’ s 
nest. 

5 . A cliipping-sparrow^ s 
nest. 

6. Ten cocoons, 
y. A box of caterpillars. 

8. A bunch of oats, 
p. A bunch of wheat. 

10 . A basket of nuts a7id 
acorns. 

11. Six kinds of fower seeds. 

12 . A little ho7iey-locust tree. 


In their grandmother’s yard were four large 
honey-locust trees. Every year these trees 
sent down thousands of seeds which sprouted 


[ 14] 


ROGER AND ROSE 


in the grass, but most of them were cut off 
when the lawn was mowed. Roger and Rose 
dug one up and ^ut it in a flower-pot. 

The birds’ nests they took after the birds 
had left them. The seeds came from their 
grandmother’s garden and the grain from a 
farm they visited one day. The other things 
they found by themselves. 

The teacher had a shelf on which she kept 
different things which the children brought 
her. She was very glad to have Roger and 
Rose give her such a fine collection with which 
to start the new school year. 


[15] 


A HALLOW-E’EN STORY 


O NCE upon a time, the last clay of October 
came on Saturday, and the boys in Roger 
Hale’s room at school had planned a 
grand nutting party. The father of one of the 
boys was going to take them in his wagon to 
a place where there were butternut and wal- 
nut trees. The boys were to bring their 
luncheons and as many bags or baskets as they 
thought they could fill with nuts. 

Roger had two large potato sacks all ready. 
One he meant to fill with walnuts and the 
other with butternuts. But alas for poor 
Roger ! When he woke up Saturday morning 
he did not feel very well, and when he dressed 
himself he noticed some queer, little spots on 
his face. 

As soon as Rose saw him she cried, Why, 
Roger Hale ! I do believe you have the 
chicken-pox ! ” Rose had had it herself a 
[ i6] 




Faithful little Rose stayed by him all day. 


A HALLOW-E^EN STORY 


short time before, and remembered only too 
well how she had looked. 

So it was, sure enough ! Roger had the 
chicken-pox and, of course, could not go 
with the boys. Rose ran over to Fred’s 
house, from which they where to start, 
and told them why Roger could not 
go. The boys were very sorry for “ poor 
old Roger,” but as they could not help him 
in any way the party went gayly off without 
him. 

Roger bore his disappointment as bravely 
as he could. Faithful little Rose stayed by 
him all day. She played soldiers, checkers, 
marbles, and every game he wanted. He was 
not sick enough to be in bed, but the doctor 
said he must not go out for a week at least. 
He knew there was nothing to do but to make 
the best of it. 

That night the family were just through 
with their supper when there came a loud ring 
of the door-bell. Rose ran to open the door, 
but Roger cried, Don’t go. Rosy, it’s only the 
boys ! It is Hallow-e’en and I know they are 
out playing tricks ! ” 

3 [ 17] 


ROGER AND ROSE 


Then there came another loud ring. The 
mother suggested that they turn the light out 
in the sitting-room, creep to the windows, and 
look out. This they did, and in a moment she 
heard them cry, Oh, Mother, come ! ’’ 

She ran to the window and began to laugh 
with Roger and Rose at what she saw. 

Arranged on the pickets of the fence were 
as many as ten jack-o’-lanterns. They were 
all lighted and cheerfully grinning at the house. 
Some of them had old hats on their heads, and 
altogether they looked so funny that the chil- 
dren fairly screamed with laughter. 

After a time Rose’s sharp eyes spied some- 
thing. Roger,” she said, there is some- 
thing in those lanterns ! ” 

What makes you think so?” asked Roger. 
Why, see how close to the front the can- 
dles are ! See those things inside!” 

Oh, go out and see ! ” cried Roger, eagerly, 
knowing that he could not go. So Rose and 
her mother went out to look into the lanterns. 

To their great delight they were full of 
something. In the middle of this was a tin can 
so arranged that the candle burned inside of it. 
[ i8] 


A HALLOW-E^EN STORY 


The something proved to be nuts. Every lan- 
tern was full of them. 

After they had been carried in and the nuts 
taken out, the children found that the}^ had 
almost as many as Roger could have brought 
home from the woods. 

It was easy to guess where the lanterns had 
come from. Roger knew how hard the boys 
must have worked to make and fill them after 
they came home from the woods. 

When he was well and out again he talked 
it over with the bo3^s. They all thought that 
that was the best Hallow-e’en trick they had 
ever played. 


[ 19 1 


A SCHOOL THANKSGIVING 


T he school which Roger and Rose at- 
tended was named the Washington 
School. The janitor was a man named 
Nels Nelson. It was he who had charge of 
the fires, and looked after the building and 
grounds. Only a few of the children knew 
how early he had to come to school on cold 
winter mornings so that everything might be 
comfortable for them. Sometimes when it 
was very cold he stayed at the school all night. 
He would sleep as best he could in an old 
rocking-chair near his furnaces and wake up 
every hour or two to put more coal on the 
fires. 

It was Mr. Nelson who kept the school 
clean, who shoveled the snow, and mowed the 
grass. He did many other things besides, for 
he was very good to the children and they 
were very fond of him. He never seemed to 
be too busy to help them when they asked 
[ 20 ] 


A SCHOOL THANKSGIVmO 

for anything. He sharpened dozens of lead 
pencils for them every day ; he found the 
things they lost ; he put on rubbers ; he but- 
toned up little coats ; he bathed bumped heads ; 
he tied up cut fingers ; he lent the boys his 
knife ; he watched over shy, little new pupils, 
and hurried up the tardy ones. 

It was a rule of the school that all must be 
in line, ready to march in, by the time Mr. 
Nelson had stopped ringing the bell. 

Once, while he was ringing, he spied Roger 
and Rose, running as fast as they could to get 
to their places in time. The clock at home 
was slow and they were a few minutes later 
than usual. Now neither Roger nor Rose had 
ever been tardy and they did not want to be 
late this time, but they thought they could not 
possibly get into the line before the bell stopped 
ringing. However, good Mr. Nelson saw 
them, and kept ringing and ringing, pretending 
all the time that he did not see them, until 
they reached their places. They were tired, 
hot, and out of breath, but very happy to be in 
time after all. 

It would not be possible to count all the 
[21 ] 


ROGER AND ROSE 

kind and helpful things that Mr. Nelson did 
for both children and teachers in the course of 
a year. The Principal often said she did not 
know how she could run the school without 
him. 

The day before ^^Thanksgiving Wednes- 
day,” she proposed to the children of the Sec- 
ond and Third Grades that they bring a 
Thanksgiving dinner for Mr. Nelson. They 
were delighted with the idea. They knew 
that their mothers would be glad to let them 
each bring something. 

Wednesday noon was the time set for 
bringing the good things. A large table was 
placed in the main hall to hold them. Mr. 
Nelson was sent away on an errand which 
would keep him until half past three o’clock. 

A huge turkey with a red ribbon around its 
neck, was hung over the middle of the table, 
which was covered with bundles. There were 
vegetables, fruits, canned goods, nuts, pies, and 
cakes. Rose had brought a mince pie, and 
Roger a peck of potatoes. 

At half past three the children gathered 
around the table to wait for Mr. Nelson. As 
[ 22 ] 


A SCHOOL THANKSGIVING 


he came in the Principal cried, Give three 
cheers for Mr. Nelson ! ” and how the children 
shouted ! Mr. Nelson did not get a chance to 
speak, every time he tried to thank them the 
children shouted and cheered again. 

After most of them had gone home a few of 
the larger boys began to help Mr. Nelson take 
home his Thanksgiving dinner. They had 
brought their wagons and wheelbarrows, so 
by five o’clock everything was safely stored in 
Mr. Nelson’s cellar. 


[23] 


A SCHOOL SPAKEOW 


I N THE First Grade room of the Washing- 
ton School, the children made a pet of a 
sparrow in rather a strange way. A little 
boy brought his teacher a box of bird-seed, one 
day. She proposed that they spread a little on 
the outside window-sill for the birds. The 
children did this, but for many days the seed 
lay there untouched. 

At last one little sparrow happened along 
and spied the seed. Not being a very polite 
bird, he ate a good meal himself before telling 
his friends what he had found. He told them 
afterward, however, and the next day half a 
dozen of them came to the window-sill. The 
children put the seed out every morning, and 
many sparrows came every day for their break- 
fast. 

One day, when the room was very warm, 
the teacher opened the window, and while the 
children were at work, one little sparrow, 

[24] 


A SCHOOL SPARROW 


bolder than the others, hopped in. The teacher 
placed her finger on her lips, and the children 
kept perfectly still. 

The bird hopped in a little further. He 
seemed to like the warm air of the room. 
Alter looking about for a few moments he 
flew away. No doubt he spent the rest of the 
day telling the other birds of his wonderful 
adventure. 

The next day the teacher opened the win- 
dow again and spread some seed on the inside 
sill. Sure enough, the sparrow came again, 
ate the seed, and flew away. For a number 
of mornings he did this, and then one cold day 
flew inside and perched over a door. Finding 
that no one troubled him, he came in every 
day and stayed longer each time. He at last 
made up his mind not to go out at all, even at 
night, and chose a bedroom for himself on a 
corner shelf. 

Some of the children put tiny heaps of seed 
or crumbs on their desks, and before the winter 
was over, little Jack Sparrow would fly from 
desk to desk even while the children were in 
their seats. He found fresh water in a bird’s 
[ 2 ^] 


ROGER AND ROSE 


bath-tub on his shelf every morning and he 
took a fine splash each day. 

The children never knew whether he kept 
his nice warm home a secret from the other 
birds, or whether they were not brave enough 
to come in. 

When the first warm day of spring came, 
of course the window was opened wide, and 
Jack Sparrow flew away. The children were 
much troubled over this until the teacher told 
them that he had gone to find his mate. She 
said he would very soon be building his nest. 
The children hope he will not only come back 
next winter but that he will bring his family 
with him. 


[26] 


A CAT STORY 


R oger and Rose had an aunt who lived in 
a town twelve miles away from their 
home. This aunt was very fond of cats 
and always had one or more about her house. 
She had one fine one named Tompkins, which 
the children admired very much. He was a 
sort of Maltese gray color, striped with black. 
He was a large cat, and very gentle, playful, 
and intelligent. Aunt Mary had had him ever 
since he was a tiny kitten, and he was very 
fond of her. 

One day the sad news came to Roger’s 
mother that Aunt Mary had to go to Cali- 
fornia to live. California was hundreds of 
miles away from her old home, and she did 
not want to leave her friends. But there was 
no help for it, the letter said, and they must all 
make the best of it. 

Roger’s first thought was of poor Tomp- 
kins. What would he do without Aunt Mary ? 
[ 21 ] 


ROGER AND ROSE 


Perhaps she will take him with her,” said 
Rose. 

‘‘No,” said her mother, “she cannot do 
that. She will have to live in a hotel.” 

“ I wonder what she will do with him then,” 
said Roger. 

“Would you children like to have him.?” 
asked the mother. 

“Oh, yes, yes. Mother!” they cried to- 
gether. 

So when she wrote to Aunt Mary the 
mother said that if she wished it they would 
take Tompkins. 

Aunt Mary wrote that she would be glad 
to leave him with them, and asked that Rog- 
er’s father come for him on the day she had 
to go. 

After seeing Aunt Mary safely on the train, 
Mr. Hale went back to the empty house and 
put Tompkins in a large basket. He curled 
up quietly and let an old shawl be sewed over 
the cover of the basket without making the 
least trouble. 

Mr. Hale took him on the street-cars to the 
depot, which was at least three miles from 
[28] 


A CAT STORY 


Aunt Mary’s house. Here he took a train for 
his own home. After leaving the train he had 
a mile to walk. Tompkins was rather heavy, 
but gave no trouble all the way. He seemed 
glad to get out of the basket, however, and to 
stretch himself. 

The children were very glad to see him. 
They fed him and petted him to their heart’s 
content. They made a nice bed for him near 
the furnace, and the cat seemed quite happy 
with them. They kept a close watch on him 
for a week, for fear he would run or stray 
away. He seemed so contented with them, 
however, that at last they let him go out into 
the garden. 

That was the last they ever saw of Tomp- 
kins. For a long time nothing was heard of 
him, but one day, four weeks after he had 
gone, their father came home with a strange 
story. 

He had been that day to Aunt Mary’s 
house, and there, on the window-sill, looking 
into the empty rooms, was a poor, thin cat 
whom he hardly knew for Tompkins. It was 
Tompkins nevertheless. The neighbors said 

[29] 


ROGER AND ROSE 

that he had been on that window-sill for a 
week, and that he would not eat anything they 
brought to him. 

The poor thing had somehow managed to 
travel the twelve miles between the two 
towns, cross two rivers, and find his way 
through the streets of a great city to his old 
home. 

All that Mr. Hale could do, was to leave 
some money with one of the neighbors to pay 
her for looking after the cat. He hoped that 
after a while he would leave the window-sill 
and eat something. But he never did. 

Two weeks later the neighbor wrote that 
poor Tompkins had been found dead at his 
post. Both Roger and Rose cried when they 
heard it, and the whole family agreed not to 
let Aunt Mary know what had happened. 

They wrote her after a time that Tompkins 
was dead, but she never knew that he died of 
grief for her. 


THE BIKDS’ CHRISTMAS TREE 


O NE Christmas Roger and Rose had three 
Christmas trees. That seems a large 
number, but when you know that one 
was for themselves and that they trimmed the 
other two for other people, it will not seem too 
many. 

Christmas was a great day in the Hale 
family, and the four weeks before Christmas 
were almost as pleasant as the day itself. 

The children had worked many days on the 
gifts they were making. Rose had made four 
pretty pieces of Outline sewing, and Roger had 
been busy with his scroll-saw. Both together 
had made two scrap-books for baby cousins. 

Their last work was what they called their 
“ catnip boxes.” During the fall they had gath- 
ered a great basket of catnip and stored it in 
the attic. For a year they had been saving little 
boxes. This Christmas every aunt, cousin, or 

[31 ] 


ROGER AND ROSE 

friend who had a cat was to receive a box of 
catnip neatly tied up in pink paper. 

All this work was finished three days before 
Christmas. Roger and Rose were wondering 
what to do next, one snowy afternoon, when 
their mother said, Why don’t you make a 
Christmas tree for the birds.?” 

There were English sparrows, pigeons, many 
bluejays, snowbirds, and a few nuthatches near 
their house. 

The children were delighted with the idea and 
went down town at once to buy a tiny Christmas 
tree. They had a happy and a busy afternoon. 
Their mother gave them a little help, and by 
tea-time the birds’ Christmas tree was ready. 

On the top of the tree they tied a bunch of 
oats, which they had had in a vase since sum- 
mer. Strings of pop-corn and cranberries 
were hung from bough to bough. Tiny paper 
baskets, filled with bird-seed, were fastened to 
the ends of the branches. A number of milk- 
weed pods were laid by ready to be used at 
the last moment. 

On Christmas Day the little tree was tied 
to a post near the window. The dainty 

[32] 


THE BIRDS’ CHRISTMAS TREE 

milkweed babies ” were scattered all over the 
branches. A few blew away, but so many of 
them stuck to the pine-needles that the little 
tree seemed covered with snow. 

And what a feast the birds had ! Of course 
the sparrows came first, but the snowbirds and 
bluejays heard the news very soon. 

For a whole week after Christmas the birds 
were flying about the little tree. Roger and 
Rose kept putting seeds, crumbs, apple-cores, 
and cranberries on it all winter, and it was 
spring before the birds’ Christmas tree was 
taken away. 


A CAT’S CHRISTMAS TREE 


R oger and Rose were so pleased 
with the success of their birds’ 
i Christmas tree that 

they wanted to make 
one for the cat 
and her two kit- 
1 tens. 

Their mother 
was willing and 
they had their 
own money to 
spend. Five 
cents bought 
@ some ever- 
green branches, which, tied together, made 
a very good tree. This was fastened in a 
box in rather a queer way. The evergreen 
branches were placed in a large bottle. The 
bottle was set in an empty box. The box was 
filled with coal, which held the bottle in place. 

[34] 



'A cat’s Christmas tree ” 


A CAT’S CHRISTMAS TREE 


Over the coal Rose put enough cotton to cover 
it. This, she thought, looked like snow. A 
bunch of catnip was tied to the top branch 
with a gay ribbon. Tiny balls for the kittens 
to play with were made of paper and yarn. 
These were hung on the low branches. Bits 
of raw meat were tied on the other branches. 
Three doll’s saucers of cream were placea 
under the tree. At the last minute Nora 
brought up three lobster claws. These were 
also hung on the tree. 

It was dark before the children finished 
their work, and they heard their father come 
in as they tied on the last claw. Mrs. Hale 
said that as it was Christmas Eve the cats had 
better have their tree then. She was afraid 
the cream would not keep sweet until morn- 
ing. So newspapers were spread on the floor 
and the little tree placed carefully on them. 
Then the cats were brought in. 

Roger had to show them where the cream 
was before they would even look at the tree. 
They began at once to lap it up, and, of course, 
Mrs. Puss finished hers first. Then she smelled 
the meat and began looking around for it. 

[35] 


ROGER AND ROSE 


She soon found the tiny bits and was eagerly 
eating them. Of course, as she ate them she 
shook the tree. This set the paper balls to 
dancing, and the kittens began to play with 
them. 

When the cat had eaten all the meat she 
began to play with the kittens, and there was 
a frolic that kept the whole family laughing 
for an hour. 

At the very last the catnip was taken down 
and put on the floor. The three cats rolled in 
it and played with it until they were tired out. 
Then they rolled themselves into a furry ball 
on the rug and went to sleep. 

The children cleared away the tree, scraps, 
and papers, and the cats^ Christmas party was 
over. 


[36] 


A CHRISTMAS SURPRISE 


O N THE Christmas after the one when 
they made the cats’ Christmas tree, 
Roger and Rose got up a surprise for 
their father and mother. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hale had said that they could 
not have a Christmas tree that year because 
they had not as much money to spend as usual. 
They had told the children they would have to 
hang up their stockings instead of having a 
tree. 

Roger and Rose were at first a little disap- 
pointed. They talked about it together until 
one day Roger thought of something that took 
the disappointment away. 

“ See here, Rosy,” said Roger, Father 
and Mother cannot afford to get us a tree, but 
we can afford to get them one.” 

[31 ] 


ROGER AND ROSE 

‘^The reason they can’t afford it is that they 
always get us such a fine one,” said Rose. 

“I know that,” answered Roger. Of 
course we can’t afford a big one but we could 
get a little one.” 

‘‘Would the}^ like it, do you think ?” asked 
Rose. 

“ Of course they would ! ” said Roger. 
“ We will trim it ourselves, and set it up in the 
dining-room. We can do it while they are at 
church Christmas Eve. They won’t see it 
until morning.” 

“ Oh, I should love to do that ! ” cried Rose. 
“ It will be such fun to surprise them ! They 
have always given us a Christmas tree, and 
now we will give them one ! ” 

By putting their money together the two 
children found that they had enough to buy a 
nice little tree. There were candles left over 
from last year, but all the other decorations 
had been lent to the Sunday School, so Roger 
and Rose had to make their own tree trim- 
mings. 

For two weeks they worked for their tree, 
and on Christmas Eve everything was ready. 
[38] 


A CHRISTMAS SURPRISE 


The father and mother wondered why the 
children did not want to go with them to the 
church, but they did not say they must go. 

As soon as he heard the door shut behind 
them, Roger brought the tree up from the 
cellar. Nora had hidden it there for the chil- 
dren. While Roger was doing this, Rose was 
getting out the decorations. The tree was 
placed in the middle of the dining-room table, 
which Nora had set for breakfast. 

It was wonderful to see how many pretty 
things the children had made. There were 
strings of pop-corn and cranberries, chains of 
gold and silver paper, painted egg-shells, 
gilded nuts and apples, and tissue-paper flow- 
ers. On the top was a big, cotton ball covered 
with diamond dust. Roger made that. Nora 
had shown the children how to make the 
flowers. 

When all was done, Roger, Rose, and Nora 
gazed at it with delight. It seemed more 
beautiful to them than any tree they had ever 
seen. 

Under the tree Roger put the paper-cutter, 
which he had bought for his father, and the 

[39] 


EOGER AND ROSE 


calendar, that he had made at school for his 
mother. Rose laid beside them a needle-book 
and a shaving case. She had made both of 
these all alone. 

Faithful Nora promised to light the candles 
before breakfast the next morning, and to see 
that no one came into the dining-room that 
night. 

The children found their stockings full the 
next morning, but they were so willing to lay 
down their new gifts and playthings when the 
breakfast bell rang that Mrs. Hale said : 

“ You seem more hungry than you usually 
are on Christmas morning, my children.” 

‘‘ Come along ! Come along !” cried Roger, 
dancing ahead of them all. 

“ Come along ! Come along ! ” cried Rose, 
leading her mother b}^ the hand. 

Into the dining-room they went, and no 
wonder the father and mother were surprised. 
The shades were down and the room dark 
except for the light of the candles burning 
gayly on the little tree. 

“Who could have done this.^” began Mrs. 
Hale, but one look at her children’s happy 
[40] 


A CHRISTMAS SURPRISE 


faces told her who had planned the great sur- 
prise. Such a hugging and kissing time as 
there was then ! Such talking all together ! 
Such explaining, and such an admiring of the 
gay little tree ! 

When the father asked the blessing, as they 
sat around the table, his voice shook a little 
and there were tears in the mother’s eyes when 
she raised her head. 

That night as the children called good- 
night to each other across the hall Roger said : 

It has been a merry Christmas, hasn’t it?” 

‘‘A merry, merry Christmas,” answered 
Rose. 


THE LITTLE SUGAE HOUSE 


A very good-natured girl named Nora 
had lived with Mrs. Hale ever since Rose 
was a wee baby. Nora used to live in 
what she called the old country,’’ and over 
there she learned a great many fairy stories. 

On ironing days Rose often sat on one end 
of the table and listened to Nora’s strange 
tales. There was one called The Green 
Bear” that she liked very much. 

But the story she liked best of all was called 
‘‘The Little Sugar House.” Nora said her 
old grandmother told it to her. Here is the 
story. 

Once upon a time two little children, a 
brother and sister, were lost in the woods. 
They were all alone in the world, for both their 
father and mother were dead. 

Hand in hand they wandered through the 
dark wood, eating nuts and berries. They 
[ 42 ] 


THE LITTLE SUGAR HOUSE 

slept upon the ground at night, and washed 
themselves at some brook or spring in the 
morning. 

At last the cruel winter came, and every- 
thing was covered with snow. 

One night they were so cold and hungry 
that they thought they must die. As they 
struggled along through the storm they saw a 
light far away. This gave them courage to 
keep on, and so on they went, far, far into the 
wood. 

At last they were close to the light. It came 
from the window of a tiny house. To their 
great surprise they saw that the house was 
made of sugar. They were so hungry that 
they could not help biting off a little piece of 
the corner. It tasted so good that they nibbled 
faster and faster. 

Then the door flew open and a tiny, little, 
old woman came out on the step saying ; 

“ Who picks upon my little sugar house ? 

Who picks upon my little sugar house 

‘^The wind! the wind!^’ said the children, 
who were afraid to show themselves. 

The old woman went in. Again the hungry 

[43] 


EOGER AND ROSE 

wanderers began to bite out little pieces of the 
house. 

Again the little woman came out saying : 

Who picks upon my little sugar house ? 

Who picks upon my little sugar house ? ” 

‘^The wind ! the wind ! ” cried the children, 
still hiding behind the corner. 

This same thing happened a third time. 
The children were less afraid now, and came 
around into the light. 

Come in ! Come in ! Poor children ! ” 
cried the little, old woman when she saw 
them, and in they went. 

It was a very small house, and had such 
tiny bits of furniture in it that it seemed like a 
doll’s house. The stove was no larger than 
one of the toy stoves sold for children to play 
with ; but a real fire burned in it, and real 
soup was being made on it. Oh, how good it 
smelled to the hungry children ! 

They helped the old woman set a doll-sized 
table with doll-sized dishes. Then the three 
had a nice, warm supper together. 

After they had helped to wash and put 
away the dishes they went up-stairs. The 
[ 44 ] 


THE LITTLE SUGAR HOUSE 


old woman tucked them into two little beds, 
which were just a fit for them. You can 
imagine how good it seemed to them to sleep 
in a bed once more. 

In the morning the little girl helped the old 
woman get the breakfast. The boy shoveled 
the snow, chopped the wood, and milked a 
little cow that was no bigger than a calf. 

Then the lonely, old woman asked the 
lonely children to stay with her always. 


THE FIKEMEN 


W HEN Rose was in the Kindergarten, 
her teacher one day took all the chil- 
dren to the Fire-engine House. She 
had asked one of the men the day before if 
they might come. He said the firemen would 
be glad to see the children. Forty children 
and four teachers were in the party. One 
fireman was the father of one of the little girls. 

They were first invited to go up-stairs. 
There they saw rows of narrow white beds. 
A chair stood by each one. Everything was 
spotlessly clean. There was a large, round 
hole in the middle of the floor. In the middle 
of the hole was a shining brass pole which 
went down to the floor below. 

When a fire-alarm sounds, every man 
jumps out of his bed and into his clothes as 
fast as he can. Then he slides down the pole. 
He has no time to go down stairs. 

[46] 


THE FIREMEN 


The children crowded around the pole and 
looked down. Mr. Matson, little Mabel’s 
father, offered to take some of them down the 
pole in his arms. They were all afraid to try 
it until Mabel said she would go. 

Her father took her on one arm, wound 
his legs and the other arm around the pole, 
and slid down like lightning. 

When the children saw that, some of them 
said they would like to try it. The men took 
one child after another down until they were 
all asking to go. 

The teachers thought this was asking too 
much of the good-natured firemen, so they all 
went down stairs again. There they saw the 
big hook-and-ladder, the red hose-cart, and 
the engine. They looked at them to their 
heart’s content, and then the men said they 
would drill the horses for them. 

All found a safe place near the door. The 
teacher said they must not be afraid when the 
alarm rang and the horses came running out. 

The children stood perfectly still. Their 
eyes were round with wonder and their hearts 
were beating fast. Even the teachers had a 

[47] 


ROGER AND ROSE 


strange feeling, as they waited to see what 
was going to happen. 

The alarm-bell clanged ! Men came slid- 
ing down the pole ! Six great horses came 
plunging out of their box-stalls, right toward 
the children ! Each stopped in his own place 
under the harness which hung over his head ! 
A few buckles were snapped and all was 
ready ! 

How the children shouted and clapped their 
hands, when it was all over ! How they cried 
“ Do it again ! Do it again ! ’’ and the kindly 
firemen did it again and again. 

As the horses were unharnessed, the man 
in charge would call out, All right !” to each 
pair in turn. At the word they went back at 
once to their stalls. 

Oh,” said one little fellow, “how well 
they mind ! ” 

Then the children sang for the firemen, 
who clapped their hands and cried, ‘‘ Do it 
again ! ’’ until they had sung ten songs. 

As they sang the “Thank-you song,” and 
made ready to go, one of the men said he had 
something to give them. As they marched 
[ 48 ] 


THE FIREMEN 


out two by two, he gave every child a big, 
round orange. Then they sang the Thank- 
you song” again, and last of all the Good- 
bye song.” 

Of course, the children played firemen for 
weeks afterward. Rose made a tine fireman’s 
hat out of clay. Some of the children sewed 
long, red ladders on their sewing cards. All 
of them drew pictures of what they had seen 
in the engine-house. 


THE STORY OF A GREAT FIRE 


R oger and Rose have an uncle, whom 
they love very much. He often tells 
them stories, and the one they like best 
is about a fire. 

When Uncle Max was a little boy he lived 
in Chicago. One night, many years ago, a fire 
started there which burned from Sunday until 
Tuesday. A large part of the city was burned, 
and Uncle Max lived in that part. This is the 
way he tells the story. 

Once upon a time, there was a boy whose 
name was Max. He was eleven years old, 
and he lived in Chicago. 

One Sunday night he sat in his little rocking- 
chair reading. His big brothers came in from 
church and told the father and mother that 
there was a fire down town. 

[ 50] 


THE STORY OF A GREAT FIRE 


Why there was a big one last night!” 
cried Max. 

‘Wes, and the poor firemen were up all 
night,” said big brother John. “ I fear they 
will have a hard fight with this fire for there is 
a high wind blowing.” 

“ Can we see the fire from here ? ” asked 
Max. 

“I think so,” said brother John, “if we go 
up-stairs to your room.” 

Sure enough 1 The sky to the south of them 
was all red. Max went to bed but could not 
sleep. He could see the red sky and he heard 
the grown people down-stairs talking and 
talking. 

By and by his mother came to him and 
told him he might get up again. She knew he 
could not sleep with so much noise in the 
house. 

Max dressed himself and ran down to the 
front door. There he saw a house, not a 
block away, whose roof was in a blaze. The 
air was full of flying sparks. Some of the big 
brothers were in the back-yard using the hose 
to keep the barn from catching fire. 


KOGER AND ROSE 


The mother was putting clothes into sheets, 
and making great bundles by tying them to- 
gether at the corners. 

The father and the other big brothers had 
gone down to the lumber-yard where the 
father’s business was. Soon they came back 
with lumber-wagons. On these they loaded 
pictures, books, clothes, and furniture. They 
drove away with them and put them on a 
steamboat in the river. 

In a short time the air was so full of sparks 
that Max said it looked like a ‘^hre snow- 
storm.” There were more houses burning 
near by, and behind them the whole city 
seemed to be ablaze. 

Max’s father then brought around his horse 
and buggy. He told Max and his mother that 
he would take them up to Cousin Henry’s 
house, which was a mile to the north. 

Max wrapped his little kitten in a shawl, 
and climbed into the buggy. He wanted to 
take his bird, too, but there was not room for 
it. His father said he would come back for 
the bird. Just before they started, the cook 
handed Max’s mother the silver forks and 
[52] 


THE STOEY OF A GREAT FIRE 


spoons, and Max’s silver cup. His mother 
put them in a satchel and took them with her. 

On the way to Cousin Henry’s the horse 
became frightened. He ran for a while as 
hard as he could but was soon quieted. 

On every side were wagons and carriages 
full of people and furniture. The sidewalks 
were crowded. 

By the time they reached Cousin Henry’s 
there was so much fire behind them that the 
father could not go back for the bird. They 
got into the buggy again and drove several 
miles to the cit}^ limits, where a friend lived. 

It was daylight when they reached this 
house, and all the people in it were asleep. 
They did not know that the city was burning. 
Max’s father woke them up and told them the 
news. They went at once to work to get food 
ready for they knew that other tired, hungry, 
and homeless friends would come later. 

And so they did. All the morning a stream 
of people poured in and all were made welcome. 

By noon the fire was again so near that 
everybod}^ left this house. Max and the cat 
once more climbed into the buggy with the 

[53] 


ROGER AND ROSE 


father and mother. They found themselves 
in such a long procession of vehicles that Max 
could not see either end of it. They drove 
many miles toward another part of the city 
where Max’s Uncle John lived. Here they 
found the house full of people, but everybody 
was made welcome and cared for. 

All that night the fire burned, and all the 
next day. When the third night came a rain 
fell which put out the flames. 

But where were the big brothers all this 
time? They took the furniture to the boat and 
loaded it on. They worked at this for hours. 
As the fire came nearer and nearer the boat 
filled with people. The Captain made ready 
to steam out into the lake. No one ever knew 
whether she was aground, or just what was the 
matter, but the boat would not move. 

Another boat, passing close to her, slowed 
up so that the people could get aboard. They 
all sailed out into the lake on this boat leav- 
ing the other to burn. 

So you see. Uncle Max would say, we 
saved only the cat and what was in the lit- 
tle satchel. 


[54] 


THE STORY OF A GREAT FIRE 


The brothers could not get back to the 
city until Tuesday afternoon. The father and 
mother were so glad to see them safe that 
they did not care what else was lost. 

On Wednesday we went to the country 
to our grandfather’s house. We stayed there 
until my father found a new home for us in 
the city. 


[55] 


TWO LITTLE KNIGHTS 


I T WAS the spring vacation time. Rose 
had gone away for a week with her Aunt 
Rose, who lived in another city, and 
Roger’s cousin Ralph had come to spend the 
holidays with him. 

The boys had had a grand time together. 
They had played with Roger’s toys and with 
his aquarium. They had hunted wild flowers, 
gone fishing in the ditch, and worked in the 
garden. They had played they were Indians, 
mountain climbers, sailors, and soldiers. Now 
they wanted something new to do. 

Let’s ask Mother,” said Roger, “she 
always thinks of things.” 

When they asked her, she thought a 
minute, and then said, “Boys, you both went 
to the Kindergarten when you were little, 
didn’t you ? ” 


[56] 


TWO LITTLE KNIGHTS 


‘‘Yes, Mother,” said Roger, wondering 
what was coming. 

“Do you remember the game of The 
Knights, which you used to play there ?” 

“Oh, yes,” cried Ralph. “Some of the 
children made a house by joining hands for a 
mother and child to live in ! ” 

“ And the five knights came ‘ galloping 
fast, galloping free!’” cried Roger. “Oh, I 
used to like that game 1 ” 

“You have heard a good deal about knights 
since then,” said Mrs. Hale. “ I know you 
have heard about King Arthur, Sir Galahad, 
and the brave Launcelot.” 

“Will you read us one of those stories. 
Mother?” asked Roger. 

“Not now, dear. I have the mending to 
do ; but I thought you and Ralph might like 
to play Knights.” 

“ Oh, yes, we would, but we haven’t any 
armor or things,” said Ralph. 

“Be ‘Knights of To-day,’ my laddies. Take 
courage, love, kindness, and gentleness for 
your armor, and go on a quest.” 

“ Oh, Mother, how? ” asked Roger. 

[ 57 ] 


ROGER AND ROSE 


You don’t mind a long walk, do you ?” 

‘^Oh, no! Knights are very strong, you 
know,” said Ralph. 

‘‘This is my plan,” said Mrs. Hale. “ Take 
Roger’s wagon and walk slowly down to the 
end of the street. Play you are knights out 
on the Queen’s quest. I’ll be the Queen. My 
orders are that you help anybody or anything 
that needs your aid ; that you do any good 
deed you can ; that you scorn not the smallest 
service. When you return you shall rest in 
my castle. Go now. Sir Knights ! But stop ! 
You shall wear the Queen’s colors ! ” 

Pinning a pansy on each knight’s coat the 
Queen sent them away. She waved her hand- 
kerchief to them from the castle window, and 
they lifted their hats and kissed their hands to 
her in return. 

“ Do you really suppose anything will hap- 
pen, or that we shall find anything to do.?” 
asked Sir Roger of Sir Ralph. 

“We’ll do our best to find something,” he 
answered. 

Before they reached the corner Roger sud- 
denly stopped. 


L58] 


TWO LITTLE KNIGHTS 

Ralph,” said he, there goes a load of 
kindling. Pm sure it is for us. Father said 
he was going to order some to-day. I heard 
him say, too, that he was going to put it into 
the cellar after tea to-night. Let us do it. He 
is always tired at night.” 

So the two little knights, in order to give 
the Queen a surprise, too, went into the yard 
by the alley gate. Charging Nora not to tell, 
they took off their coats and went to work. In 
a half hour the kindling was in its place in the 
cellar. 

Once more they started down the street. 
They had not gone far before they saw a 
boy who, like themselves, was drawing a 
wagon. It was not much of a wagon. It was 
made of a box and two old wheels which were 
anything but strong. In it was a large bundle 
of clean clothes. It was drawn by a string 
and the boy had a good deal of trouble to keep 
it from running off the walk. 

His mother evidently took in washing, and 
he was helping her by carrying the clothes 
home. Roger had often seen this boy pass, 
but he had never noticed before how big the 

[ 59] 


KOGER AND ROSE 


bundle was, how small the boy, and how 
rickety the wagon. 

Ralph looked at Roger, and both together 
said, Let’s give him a ride ! ” 

The little boy was very willing to ride. He 
put his bundle in the back of Roger’s big, 
strong wagon, and got up into the seat in 
front. They tied his wagon on behind. Away 
they went, laughing and shouting. They did 
not stop until they reached a big house near 
the end of the street. Here the small boy, 
after thanking them, went in with his bundle, 
and the knights went on their way to the end 
of the block. 

Here they turned around and started back, 
hoping to find something more to do. They 
stopped a sparrow fight, got a kitten out of a 
tree for a little girl, and threw some orange 
skin off the walk. 

By this time they were in sight of home 
and thought their quest was over. Just 
around the corner, however, they saw a crowd 
around a wagon. 

Why, it’s our grocery wagon ! ” cried 
Roger. 


[6o] 


TWO LITTLE KNIGHTS 


“ Hello, Jim, what’s the matter? ” 

^Ht’s a breakdown ! Can’t you see?” said 
Jim ratherly crossly. 

He was much troubled over the bad break 
in the harness, for he knew he could not go 
on. Jim was telling the crowd about it as the 
boys came up. 

It’s bad enough to have the harness 
break,” he was saying, but it’s worse to have 
three orders here that the boss wants deliv- 
ered double quick. How I’m going to do 
that and get this horse back to the barn, I 
don’t know.” 

Ralph and Roger nudged each other. 
“ Here’s a chance ! ” whispered Ralph. 

^^Jim,” said Roger quickly, “can’t we 
deliver the orders? We have our wagon 
here.” 

“One is for your house,” said Jim, “one is 
for the Porter’s, next door, but the other goes 
to the hotel. You couldn’t go that far.” 

“Yes, we could,” said Ralph, “only tell us 
which is which. We won’t forget.” 

Jim thought a minute and then said, “I 
guess the boss w^on’t care so long as it’s you. 


ROGER AND ROSE 


He knows your folks well enough. Pll give 
you each a cent for your trouble.’’ 

^^We can’t take money for it,” said Ralph 
looking at Roger. 

“ No, we can’t,” said Roger remembering 
that he was a knight. 

It was rather a long trudge to the hotel, so 
it was tea-time when the boys reached home. 
They told their story at the table. 

I do not know which they enjoyed most, 
the quince preserves, which were brought out 
in their honor ; the father’s surprise on finding 
his work done for him ; or the Queen’s delight 
in the success of their Knightly Quest. 


[62] 


TEEE PLANTING 


T he Washington School stood in a large 
yard. When Roger first began to go to 
school, there were a number of fine oak 
trees shading the building. 

Then came three summers which were very 
dry. One by one the oak trees died, until 
seven were gone. This left the yard rather 
bare. Roger’s teacher told the children that 
they had better plant some new trees. 

Somebody has to make a beginning,” she 
said, ‘^and although we may never see large 
trees in our school-yard, other people will. 
Let us start a nursery this spring.” 

A sheltered corner of the yard was chosen 
and the soil made ready. On tree-planting 
day the teacher and her thirty children set out 
to find some baby trees. They brought back 
four little box-elders, four soft maples, one oak, 
and a number of willow switches. They found 
[63] 


ROGER AND ROSE 


most of the baby trees in vacant lots near 
which stood the mother trees. 

All but the willows were planted in the 
little nursery. These were planted in a row 
near the back fence. 

This happened three years ago. The willow 
trees are now far above Roger’s head, although 
he is much taller than when he began to go to 
the school. The box-elders are large enough 
to be transplanted into the school-yard. The 
maples will be taken from the nursery next 
year, and the little oak is growing well. 

Other baby trees have since been planted 
in the nursery. There are also a poplar, a 
cottonwood, a cherry tree, and several maple 
trees in it. 

Roger and his father made a willow hedge 
in their own yard. They put in a lot of 
switches slanting toward the right, and slanted 
others across them to the left. They grew in 
this position, and in two years the hedge was 
so thick that it had to be trimmed. 


[64] 


FISH AND FROGS 


R OSE’S teacher had an aquarium in her 
room. In it were rocks, water-weed, and 
shells. The rocks were piled up in one 
corner so that the little turtle could get out of 
the water when he wanted to. The water- 
weed was bought at a bird store. It helped 
keep the water clean and fresh. The shells 
which covered the bottom of the aquarium, were 
dropped in, a few at a time, by the children. 
They also put with the shells any pretty stones 
which they found. They liked to look at them 
through the water. In the water were three 
goldfish, the turtle, some frogs’ eggs, and a 
mother crawfish. 

The mother crawfish carried her whole 
family of babies around with her under her 
tail. At first these babies were only eggs. 
Then they seemed to be live eggs, with little 
black spots where the eyes were to be. Lit- 
tle by little they grew to look like the mother. 

[65] 


5 


ROGER AND ROSE 


By and by they dropped away from her and 
swam by themselves. 

From the frogs’ eggs came tiny tadpoles, 
which after a time would have become frogs 
if the goldfish had not eaten them. 

As it was spring, and there were no flies 
about, the children did not know what to give 
the turtle to eat. The boys said that it would 
eat raw meat, but this turtle would not. The 
children tried again and again to make it eat, 
but it was no use. It seemed to be growing 
weaker every day, and the teacher said it 
would soon die if something was not done. 
She thought the little thing had better be 
taken back to the big ditch on the prairie, 
where it had come from. 

‘‘ Perhaps he will find his mother there, and 
she will take care of him,” said one tender- 
hearted boy. 

I think it will find what it wants to eat 
there,” said the teacher, and that will make 
it well and strong again.” 

After school that night a party of children 
went with the teacher to the big ditch. They 
had to take the electric cars to get there. The}^ 
[ 66 ] 


FISH AND FROGS 


carried the turtle in a little pail. On the edge 
of the ditch they let it out. It stretched its 
neck and seemed to smell fresh air and ditch- 
water. It crept slowly to the edge of the 
water, plunged in, and swam away. 

The children shouted and clapped their 
hands. Oh, how glad he must be ! ” they 
cried. 

Whenever the goldfish in the aquarium came 
up to the top of the water, blowing bubbles, 
the children knew they wanted fresh w'ater. 
They would then take away half of the water 
and replace it with fresh. While some of the 
boys carried the water back and forth, the 
girls would wash off the glass. The fish food 
was bought at a bird store. One cake of it 
was fed to the fish twice a week. One day 
some paste made of gum tragacanth fell into 
the water and the fish ate it up. 

When the long vacation comes, the children 
are going to take the crawfish back to the 
ditch. One of the boys will take care of the 
fish until September. 


[67] 


ROGER’S AQUARIUM 


A fter a time, Roger was no longer in 
Rose’s room at school. He was ad- 
vanced to another grade. 

There was no aquarium in this room so he 
made up his mind to have one of his own at 
home. Nora gave him a wash-tub and he set 
it under the rain-spout one stormy night. In 
the morning it was full of rain-water. 

The next Saturday afternoon his mother 
went with him and Rose out to the big ditch. 
They each carried a covered pail. Over the 
ditch was a little bridge. From this they let 
their pails down into the water. When they 
drew them up, of course, they were full of 
muddy water. Mrs. Hale said they had better 
take it home, as it would have in it the things 
fish would like to eat, as well as the fish them- 
selves. They saw something in the water 
that they hoped was a crawfish. 

[ 68 ] 


ROGER’S AQUARIUM 



They emptied their pails into the tub after 
they reached home. The mud soon settled 
^ and they could see what they had 
fished up from the ditch. There 
were two jelly-like masses of 
frogs’ eggs, and two craw- 
fish. One of the crawfish 
had eggs under its tail. 

One of the boys gave 
Roger a sort of lizard, 
which his mother 
called a 
newt. An- 
other boy 


They let their pails down into the water.” 

gave him a turtle, and he got another craw- 
fish from the ditch the next Saturday. 

In a short time his aquarium was a very 

[69] 


EOGER AND ROSE 


lively place, full of wriggling tadpoles and 
crawfish. All summer Roger enjoyed his pets 
for they throve wonderfully well. The rain 
put fresh water into the tub from time to time 
for, of course, he kept it in the yard. 

He means to take some of his crawfish and 
most of his frogs back to the ditch before frost 
as he cannot keep them through the winter. 
The others he will give to some of the 
teachers who want them for the school. He 
expects next April or May to have another 
aquarium. 


[70] 


ROSE’S VEGETABLE GARDEN 


A t one time Roger and Rose lived in a 
flat. The only place they had to play 
out of doors, was a back porch or the 
street. The porch was large and shaded by 
an old willow tree so it was really a very 
pleasant place. 

One spring day Rose wanted to make a 
garden. Her mother was out, so she could 
get no help from her. Roger was in the house 
with a hard lesson to learn. 

When Rose wanted anything, she usually 
wanted it so much that she was willing to 
work for it. 

can’t have a flower garden,” she said to 
herself, for I have no seeds. I have no 
money to buy any either, but I could have a 
vegetable garden if there was any place for it. 
I think I shall have to make the place.” 

In the alley Rose found an old wash-boiler 

[71 ] 


ROGER AND ROSE 


with a hole in it. This she set against the 
sunny side of the porch. Then she took the 
shovel from the coal-bucket, got out Roger’s 
wagon, and started off to find soil for her gar- 
den. She knew where there was a vacant lot 
which had black dirt in it. The boiler was 
larger than the wagon so she had to go after 
dirt three times. 

Nora helped carry the dirt up the steps 
each time, then she gave Rose the vegetables 
she wanted. She first gave her a potato, and 
showed her how to cut it for planting. She 
said the piece must have two eyes or it would 
not grow. Then she gave her a few beans, 
and dried peas, an onion, and a turnip. Rose 
asked a neighbor, who kept chickens, for a 
few grains of corn. 

When Roger came out to see what she was 
doing, the garden was planted and watered, 
and Rose was sweeping off the porch. He 
wanted a garden, too, so they decided to make 
another. 

Nora gave them an old box and they went 
to work to fill it with earth. This garden was 
to be planted with fruit trees. As soon as it 
[ 72 ] 



“ Roger came out to see what she was doing 




Hu. 



ROSE’S VEGETABLE GARDEN 

was ready the children carefully put in a row 
of orange seeds, a row of lemon seeds, a row 
of apple seeds, and one peach stone. Later in 
the summer they added more peach stones, a 
plum stone, four cherry stones, and some melon 
seeds. By October nearly ever3'thing was 
growing nicely and they are going to bring the 
box into the house for the winter. 


[73] 


PLAYING ROBINSON CRUSOE 


O NE fine, summer day Roger’s mother sat 
under an apple tree talking to his Aunt 
Rose. The whole family were making 
Aunt Rose a visit and the children were enjoy- 
ing every minute of it. But for the first time 
in four days they could not think of anything 
to do and so, as usual, they asked their mother 
for help. 

Make a tent,” suggested Mrs. Hale. 
‘‘What can we have to make it with.^” 
asked Roger. 

“There is a large piece of canvas, which 
you can take,” said Aunt Rose. 

In a few minutes the children had the can- 
vas out on the grass. They also brought out 
the step-ladder, over which to spread the 
canvas. For at least half an hour they were 
happy and busy. Then they grew tired of just 
living in a tent and once more asked their 

[74] 


PLAYING ROBINSON CRUSOE 


mother to help them think of something to do. 

‘‘Mother,” said Rose, “if you had a nice 
tent like this, what would you do in it ? ’’ 

“I would play Robinson Crusoe in it!” said 
Mrs. Hale. 

The children laughed with delight and ran 
away. They brought back with them into the 
tent, the cat, the dog, and Aunt Rose’s parrot. 
The cat would not stay, but ran off into the 
bushes. 

“Never mind,” said Roger, “we will play 
she is a wild-cat.” 

They armed themselves with broom-stick 
guns and started out hunting. That gave Aunt 
Rose an idea. She went quickly into the house 
and came out with a plate in her hand. 

“ Children,” she called, “ come here ! ” 

They ran to her at once, and she said, “ I 
know you are hungry. Here are twelve crack- 
ers, four pieces of sponge cake, and six olives. 
Now I will hide these about the yard, while 
you go to sleep in your tent. When you wake 
up you can really go hunting for your food.” 

The children clapped their hands for joy 
and rushed back to the tent. Mrs. Hale and 
[ 75 ] 


ROGER AND ROSE 


Aunt Rose hid the different things in the grass, 
flower-beds, bushes, and trees. 

Then the hunters, Robinson Crusoe and his 
man Friday, set out. Of course, the olives 
were the hardest to find, but they kept on 
hunting until they had found all the game. All 
that afternoon the banging of guns and the 
shouts of the hunters were heard, for when 
the game was all brought in Aunt Rose hid it 
again. Indeed the children so enjoyed hunt- 
ing for the food that they forgot to eat it. 

Robinson Crusoe became one of their favor- 
ite summer games. Roger and Rose often 
played it with the other children in the neigh- 
borhood, when they took turns hiding their 
luncheon from each other. 


[76] 


PLAYING INDIAN 


A unt rose lived in a much smaller city 
than her sister, Mrs. Hale. While Roger 
and Rose were there they became ac- 
quainted with many of the children who lived 
near Aunt Rose’s house. They had almost as 
many friends among them as at home. 

One Saturday these friends got up a picnic 
in their honor. They planned to spend a whole, 
day in the woods. These woods were not 
very far from their homes, and the children 
often played there. 

When Saturday morning came, at least 
twenty children stopped for Roger and Rose. 
They were to eat their luncheon in an open 
place on the edge of the wood, which could be 
seen from Aunt Rose’s porch. 

Mrs. Hale had put up a basket of good 
things for Roger and Rose. They kissed her 
good-bye, and away went the happy band, 
singing school songs at the tops of their voices. 

[ 77 ] 


KOGER AND ROSE 


They first amused themselves gathering 
wild flowers, picking June-berries, and hunting 
wild strawberries. Then the}^ began to pile 
up brushwood for a fire in the open place 
where they were to eat. 

They ate their luncheon rather early, as 
children always do at a picnic, and then the 
question was what shall we play ? ” All 
voted for “ Indian,’’ a favorite game of these 
country boys and girls. This is the way they 
played it. 

They divided into two even bands. Every 
child armed himself with a stick for a gun. 
One band made their camp around the fire, the 
other went off into the thick underbrush to 
find a hidden place for theirs. 

After giving them some time to do this, the 
first band set out to find the hidden camp. 
They were also to bring in any prisoners whom 
they might take on the way. The band was 
to scatter, and to hunt carefully until the camp 
was found. The one who found it was to 
come back to the fire and call the others in. 
Then a charge was to be made. 

In the mean time, the other band was to 

[78] 


PLAYING INDIAN 


watch for these enemies. They were to take 
them prisoners, if they could, before they could 
get back to the fire. 

When two Indians met, the one who said 
bang ! ” first took the other prisoner. If one 
did not see the other, of course, the sharper- 
eyed one had the best of it. 

You can imagine what a grand time they 
had that afternoon. It was four o’clock before 
the hidden camp was found. Seven prisoners 
were taken before the charge was made, and 
the band that was to charge had lost four men. 
They had been carried off to the hidden camp. 
When the charge took place, of course, these 
prisoners helped their friends. 

After a tremendous amount of banging and 
shouting, the camp was taken. Then all the 
Indians went back to the fire. 

Roger had two dozen sticks of lemon candy 
in his basket which his mother had told him to 
save until late in the afternoon. He now 
passed these around, and the Indians, putting 
them in their mouths, sat around the fire and 
smoked the pipe of peace.” 


ROGEE AND ROSE IN CAMP 


O NE of Mr. Hale’s friends lived in a camp 
all summer. This camp was on the lake 
shore, only a few miles from the city 
where Mr. Hale lived. This friend came to 
the city on his wheel every morning, but his 
family lived in the camp, and he was with 
them nights, Saturday afternoons, and Sundays. 

This family was quite a large one. There 
were, besides the mother;, three little children, 
a grandmother, a cook, and an uncle. The 
uncle also rode to his business in the city every 
day. 

There were houses near the camp, so the 
women and children felt perfectly safe while 
the men were away. They had very good 
times in the woods, on the shore, and in the 
lake itself, for they went in bathing every day* 
There was a kitchen tent, a dining tent, and 
three bedroom tents. There were many ham- 
[8o] 






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The children paddled about near the shore. 



KOGER AND ROSE IN CAMP 

mocks among the trees, and two boats drawn 
up on the shore. 

Mr. Mason and his brother, the father and 
the uncle of the party, often went fishing in 
the evening. They would go so far out on the 
lake that they were almost out of sight. 

Mr. Mason invited the whole Hale family to 
spend Saturday afternoon and take tea at the 
camp. They were only too glad to do so. 
They took a train which carried them within 
a mile of the camp. They walked the rest of 
the way, and reached the tents about three 
o’clock. 

The first thing planned for them was a 
grand bath in the lake. The three men and 
the five children were soon in their bathing 
suits. The men swam far out, while the chil- 
dren paddled about near the shore. Then the 
swimmers took them out into deeper water 
and gave them a swimming lesson. 

Mr. Hale took Roger to where the water 
was above his waist, and told him to bump his 
head on the bottom. Now Roger had prac- 
tised ducking in the bath-tub at home. He 
not only could keep his head under water for 
[8i] 


ROGER AND ROSE 


some time, but he could also keep his eyes 
open. He tried at once to bump his head on 
the bottom of the lake. To his great surprise 
he found that he could not, although he tried 
again and again. He knew then that he was 
lighter than the water, and that it could hold 
him up. He soon learned to float, and his 
father said that he would learn to swim very 
quickly if he only had a lake to swim in. 

The other children did not learn much. 
They were smaller than Roger and not so 
brave. 

After the swimming lesson Mr. Mason 
brought out his boat and let the children play 
in it. They sat on the edge, their feet splash- 
ing in the water, as the boat danced on the 
waves. It was such fun not to care how wet 
they were. 

I think they would have stayed in the water 
all the afternoon if their mothers had not made 
them come out. 

After they were dried and dressed, they 
went down to the shore again. They found 
Mr. Mason and his brother getting ready to 
catch minnows for bait. Each took an end of 
[82] 


ROGER AND ROSE IN CAMP 


a long net and rowed out into the lake, letting 
it carefully down under water. Then, rowing 
slowly back, they pulled it in, full of shining 
minnows. These were put into pails for bait, 
as the uncle was going to fish that evening. 
Mr. Mason gave a dozen of them to Roger for 
his aquarium. 

After a supper of delicious fish chowder, the 
Hale’s went back to the city. Roger carried 
his pail of minnows, Mr. Hale a string of fresh 
perch, Mrs. Hale and Rose bunches of wild 
flowers. 

This was one of the happiest days of the 
children’s vacation. 


[85] 


EOGER IN THE WOODS 


M r. hale was in the lumber business. 
He often had to go up into the pine 
woods. Sometimes he went by train, 
and sometimes he took a steamer on the lakes. 

On one of these trips he took his little boy 
with him. They went up the lake in a tow,” 
as it was called. A tow is made up of a large 
steam-tug, and three or four lumber schooners, 
or barges. This tug towed three barges. 
They went up the lake empty and were to 
come back full of lumber. 

Mr. Hale and Roger were on the barge 
which was next to the tug. Roger was de- 
lighted with the big boat. It was as clean and 
orderly as it could be. The captain let the 
passengers have his own little state-room. 

The lake was as smooth as a pond during 
the three nights and two days of the trip. 

Roger looked into every nook and corner 

[84] 


ROGER m THE WOODS 


of the boat. He made friends with the captain 
and all the sailors. Sometimes they let him 
help them with their work. 

His father read to him, and they often 
played games together. Sometimes the cap- 
tain would make a sort of hammock in what 
he called ‘‘ the slack of the sail.” In this they 
would lie by the hour, looking out over the 
wide, blue lake and watching the distant sails. 

They landed in a little lumber town, where 
they took a train for a place farther north. At 
this place there was a river and a boat was 
waiting for them. 

This boat was a birch-bark canoe. Roger 
was told that he must sit exactly in the middle 
and keep perfectly still or it would tip over. 
You may be sure he did sit still, but he did not 
find it very hard to do so as there were so 
many things to look at. 

He watched the skillful paddling of the 
boatman. He was sure he could paddle a 
canoe himself if they would only let him try. 
The river was the most beautiful one he had 
ever seen. The banks were high and rocky, 
and green to the top. The trees grew so close 

[85] 


ROGER AND ROSE 

to the water that the canoe was often under 
their branches. Roger said it looked like a 
picture in his geography. 

The eight miles of their journey were soon 
passed and they landed just below a beautiful 
water-fall. They climbed the rocks to a place 
above the falls where there was a fine view of 
the river. Here the water was full of logs 
which had floated down from the lumber- 
camps above. A sort of bridge made of logs 
and chains kept them from going over the 
falls. 

The boatman, with a long iron-pointed 
pole, let a few of the logs through the bridge. 
It was a fine sight to see them go spinning 
over the falls into the quiet water below. 

Then came a pleasant ride back on the 
beautiful river. By the time Roger reached 
the little hotel where they were to stay all 
night, he was very hungry and very sleepy. 

The next day they started for home. They 
took a train made up of one car and a funny 
little engine which burned wood instead of 
coal. 

While going across the country the train 

[ 86 ] 


ROGER m THE WOODS 


suddenly stopped. Some men ran out of the 
car and others put their heads out of the win- 
dows. Roger’s father told him to sit still 
while he went out to learn what was the mat- 
ter. He came back laughing. He said that a 
woman who, with her four children, was pick- 
ing blackberries near the track, had stopped 
the train. She had used one of the children’s 
skirts as a flag. She said the children were 
thirsty and asked the engineer to give them a 
drink. He very good-naturedly did so, and 
then the train moved on. 

In time it came to a town where it met a 
through train.” Mr. Hale and Roger got 
into the sleeping-car of this train and the next 
morning were at home again. 


[87] 



BIRD STORIES 


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'‘How glad we are when we hear the first robin 

of the season.” 


THE FIRST BIRDS 


I F YOU live in the country, one of the first 
spring sounds you will hear is the caw of the 
crow. This is soon followed by the noisy 
chatter of flocks of crow-blackbirds. These 
look like little crows and are sometimes of such a 
glossy bluish-greenish-black that children think 
they are green when the sun shines on them. 
A little girl once told her teacher that she had 
seen a green bird as big as a robin. Her 
teacher thought she must be mistaken but 
found out afterward that she had seen a fine 
crow-blackbird. 

The robins come back about the same time 
as their black friends. Some of them come 
even earlier. How glad we are when we hear 
the first robin of the season, and how we love 
the gay little fellow with the red breast ! 

The bluebird comes with the blackbird and 
the robin. He looks like a scrap of blue sky, 

[ 91 ] 


BIRD STORIES 


and goes flitting about giving a soft, musical 
call that is one of the sweetest sounds in the 
world. 

Then come tree-creepers, sap-suckers, and 
woodpeckers. Meadow larks begin to pipe in 
the fields and song sparrows to sing in the 
tree-tops. Kinglets and warblers go twinkling 
through the budding branches, while quiet 
brown and olive thrushes, beautiful with their 
spotted breasts, sit quietly on fences and twigs 
and let you get a good look at them. You 
wish that the oriole with his orange and black 
feathers would do the same, but he keeps to 
the high branches as he whistles gayly to his 
mate. 

The handsome highhole often seeks his food 
upon the ground, so you can often see what a 
fine fellow he is with his speckled breast, red 
head feathers, and golden wings and tail. One 
name is not enough for him. Beside highhole, 
he is called highholder, flicker, golden-winged 
woodpecker, and even the golden-winged robin. 

Later come the bobolinks, catbirds, swal- 
lows, phoebe birds and, best of all, the lovely 
scarlet tanager. You will probably call him 

[92 ] 


THE FIRST BIRDS 


the redbird for he is the brightest red you 
ever saw, although he has black wing feathers. 
His mate is a sober olive-green, and his children 
all look like their mother while they are little. 
Ask some grown-up person to tell you why 
this is so. 

Do not think that because you live in a city 
you cannot see or know these feathered travel- 
ers. Ride out to the end of a car-line, or go 
to the beautiful parks, you will find them there. 
The quiet grave-yards are full of them. Put 
up little bird-houses with such small doors that 
the sparrows will not care for them. Wrens 
and bluebirds like such houses. 

If there are only sparrows about, put up a 
house with a wide door where you can see it 
easily. You will have a good time watching 
the building of the nest and the rearing of the 
young birds. 


WILD GEESE 


W E ALL know that when the wild geese 
begin to fly North, warm weather is 
coming. You have often seen them 
flying over your heads in straight or V-shaped 
lines. The leader has the hardest work. When 
he gets tired, he drops back to the end of the 
line and another takes his place. 

Wild geese fly very fast. It is said that 
they can fly hundreds of miles in a single night. 
They nest in the far North, and spend the 
winter in the swamps and marches of the 
South. During the spring and fall, while they 
are flying, you often see them going East or 
West. They are then in search of food or a 
place to sleep. 

There is one kind of wild geese which flies 
so high that hunters can seldom get a shot at 
them. In the summer they are far away in 
the North. In the winter, while in the South, 

[94] 


WILD GEESE 


they rest on the water at night. One is always 
on guard to warn the others if danger comes 
near. It is from these birds that the saying 
“a wild goose chase’’ comes. Do you know 
what it means? 

Wild geese are very fond of their mates. 
The father goose will fight bravely for his nest 
or young ones. 

People who are not very clever are some- 
times called geese. This does not seem right, 
for geese are very far from being stupid. 


[95] 


CEOWS 


W HILE the crows are almost the first 
birds to tell us that spring has come, 
we must remember that some of them 
stay with us all winter. They are quiet enough 
during cold weather but as soon as it begins to 
grow warmer, they get restless and noisy. 

Some people think that our winter crows 
go North in the spring, and that our summer 
crows are those which went South in the fall. 

Near my home is a wood where there are 
many crows, but on the first mild days of 
February we hear them near the house. 

Crows usually fly in flocks. They divide 
into small companies in the morning and fly 
off in search of food. In the evening the bands 
come together to roost. 

While feeding, one crow is on guard. His 
cry of alarm sends the whole flock flying away 
from danger. 

Many farmers kill crows because they eat 

[96] 


CROWS . 

the young shoots of grain. So they do, but 
they also eat thousands of harmful bugs and 
worms. These insects would destroy much' 
more grain than many crows, if they were not 
eaten. When the farmer kills a crow he kills 
a friend. 

The crow kills and eats mice, moles, frogs, 
lizards, and snakes. I am sorry to say he also 
likes eggs and young birds. He likes to tease 
the owls, and will chase hawks and even eao-les 
at times. 

The crow builds a nest of sticks and grass. 
He plasters it with mud and lines it with soft 
roots, feathers, or wool. The mother crow 
lays from four to six eggs. Both crows sit on 
the eggs to keep them warm, and they watch 
over their little ones with tender care. 

The crow is very strong and can fly a long 
wa}^ His eyes are very sharp. He is a flne 
bird to look at in his glossy black coat. You 
will be surprised to learn that there have been 
perfectly white crows. These, of course, are 
very rare. 

The crow makes a good pet, but is pretty 
sure to be a thief. 


7 


[97] 


BIRD STORIES 


Brave and strong as these big birds are, 
the little kingbird is not afraid of them. He 
often drives them away when they come too 
near his nest. 

The crow is very much afraid of the owl at 
night. He has good reason to be, for his 
enemy can see in the dark and often kills the 
poor crow on his roost. 


[98] 


EICEBIEDS 


I F YOU do not know the bobolink I hope 
you will get acquainted with him as soon 
as you can. 

In June, if you go where there are fields or 
meadows, you will hear the most beautiful 
bird music in the world. The aii will seem to 
be full of it. 

A gay little fellow in black and white feath- 
ers with an orange-colored spot on his head, 
will light on the tall swinging grasses and sing. 
He will sing from the tree-tops, and sing in the 
air as he flies. Near him will be a little sparrow- 
like bird. She is Mrs. Bobolink. It will not 
be worth your while to look for her nest, 
although it is on the ground, for she hides it 
very carefully. If by any chance, however, 
you should find it, and if the little birds should 
have their feathers, you would see that they 
look like their mother. They are safer in their 

[99] 


L.ofC. 


BIRD STORIES 


sober brown dresses than they would be in the 
white, black, and gold which their father wears. 

Now let me tell you a strange thing. When 
nesting time is over, and the family get ready 
to go South, Mr. Bob puts on a suit of sober 
brown himself. His feathers have been slowly 
changing all summer so that when the time 
comes to go, he is ready. 

Bobolinks fly in flocks. They are often 
seen in swamps and other places where reeds 
grow. For this reason they are called reed- 
birds in some parts of the countr3^ In other 
parts they are called ricebirds because they 
flock about the rice fields of our Southern 
States. They spend the winter in the far 
South on some of the islands near our shores. 
On one of these the\" are called butterbirds 
because they grow so fat. 

Some people have sharper eyes than others 
and some have keener ears. One of our 
writers and bird-lovers says he often hears the 
twittering of the bobolinks as they fly by night 
on their way to or from the South. 


[ * 00 ] 


WARBLERS 


T here is a large family of birds, called 
the warblers, which flies to the South 
in the fall. They are very small birds 
but very beautiful ones. 

I remember one September night, many 
years ago, there was a great storm. In the 
morning, children picked up poor, little, dead 
warblers by the dozen. In one part of the 
city, where there was a bright electric light 
on a high tower, they were shoveled up by the 
hundreds. 

A great many of these delicate, little birds 
are found dead around the lighthouses. They 
kill themselves by dashing against the lighted 
windows. 

These warblers have names as pretty as 
[ loi ] 


BIED STORIES 


their colors. The names tell so well how they 
look that I will give you some of them. 

1. Black and 'white 'warbler, 

2. Black and yello'W 'warbler. 

j. Black-throated blue 'warbler. 

4. Black-throated green "warbler. 

5. Blue yello'W-back 'warbler. 

6. Chestnut-sided 'warbler. 

7. T^ello'w 'wa 7 'bler. 

If you remember these names you may 
know the birds when you see them. 

They nest in the most northern part of our 
country. In the middle part we see them as 
they pass through on their way North or South. 

They can be seen on the maple and fruit 
trees in the spring. They are looking for tiny 
insects and insects’ eggs. 

They do not make much noise at any time, 
and in spring and fall slip past us so quietly 
that few people really see them. 


[ 102 ] 


BIEDS’ NESTS 


I F YOU want to see the robins keeping 
house, watch the crotches of the trees, for 
it is there they like best to build their mud- 
plastered nests. Often the crotch is such a 
low one that the nest can be easily seen, as 
well as the mother robin setting on her eggs, 
and the little ones stretching up their necks 
and opening their bills for food. 

Last spring two robins built a nest in the 
lowest crotch of an ash tree on our street. 
The tree stood close to the sidewalk and many 
people passed under it every day. I do not 
think one in a hundred of them ever saw the 
nest but a few of us looked at it whenever we 
went by. 

Mother Robin seemed to know we were 
her friends. She would look down on us with 
her bright eyes as if to say, “ It’s all right ! I 
know you won’t tell any one who would dis- 
turb us.” 


[ 103 ] 


BIRD STORIES 


On another street near by, a man was build- 
ing a house. An old, dead plum tree was in 
the way and the builder ordered it taken out. 
Just as his men were about to cut it down, he 
saw that a little house-wren had her nest in a 
hole in its trunk, and that there were eggs in 
the nest. He told the men to saw off the trunk 
close to the ground as carefully as they could, 
and not to let the tree fall. When this was 
done he had the old tree set up in his own 
yard, which was near by. 

The wrens did not seem to mind the mov- 
ing and settled down at once in the new place. 
The little birds were safely hatched, and the 
whole family sang and twittered their thanks, 
to the kind builder all summer. 

The next spring, before , the wrens came, a 
pair of bluebirds spied the old trunk with a 
hole in it. They decided to build in it, for 
they did not know that the house was not 
FOR RENT. I am afraid they would not 
have cared if they had known. 

When the wrens came back there was 
trouble. W^hile the bluebirds were away, the 
wrens would pull their nest to pieces. When 

[ 104 ] 


BIRDS’ NESTS 

they came back they would drive the wrens 
away and begin building again. 

This went on for some time, but at last the 
bluebirds gave up, and went to live in 
a bird-house near by. 

Look for orioles’ nests 
at the ends of the high 
branches of elm trees. 

Watch the old oaks for 
woodpeckers’ holes. Wher- 
ever there are thick ever- 
green trees there you are 
apt to find bluejays and 
blackbirds keeping house. 

If you are in the country 
this summer perhaps you 
may find a phoebe bird’s 
nest. Look for it under the 
little bridges which span 
the ditches, railroad tracks, 
and streams or rivers. 

Perhaps you will find Look for orioles' nests.’* 
a goldfinch’s nest swung 
on a tall thistle or a mullen stalk. A friend 
of mine once came upon a humming-bird’s nest 
[ 105 ] 



BIRD STORIES 

which was built on a strong plant of maiden- 
hair fern. 

Catbirds and thrushes like best to live in 
bushes or underbrush. Chipping sparrows 
sometimes build in the vines which cover our 
piazzas. 

I tell you all these secrets because I know 
you are the birds’ friends. I know that you 
will never trouble or harm them. I know that 
you will not tell any one who would do so, if 
you should find any of these tiny homes. 


[ io6] 


A BOBOLINK’S NEST 


1 WENT one day to see the mother of a 
little boy. She lived on the outer edge of 
a small city. There were great fields 
stretching away to the north and west. These 
fields were covered with grass which later 
would be made into hay. Beautiful trees grew 
on the borders of the fields, so they made a 
fine play-ground for the children who lived 
near. 

When I came out of my friend’s house, half 
a dozen children were waiting for me. 

‘‘We want to show you something! Will 
you come?” they cried. 

“ Of course I will,” said I. “What is it?” 
“You wont tell, will you? ” asked the oldest 
girl, anxiously. 

“ No indeed ! ” I answered. 

“It is a bobolink’s nest!” said she m a 
[ 107 ] 


BIRD STORIES 


whisper. are the only ones who know 

where it is. We are afraid to tell the big 
boys.” 

^‘Wont they see us going to it and follow 
us? ’’ I asked. 

‘^Oh, no!” said another girl. They are 
all over on the next street playing ball.” 

So we started across the field. I saw noth- 
ing but waving grass, but the children went 
straight to a certain spot, marked by a stick so 
small that only their sharp eyes would have 
noticed it. 

As we drew near mother Bobolink flew off 
her nest and lighted on a weed near by. She 
did not seem to be in the least afraid. Father 
Bob sat on the top of a tree and sang as loud 
as he could. 

Carefully the little hands pushed away the 
grass. Softly they all kneeled around the 
nest, their little bare heads fairly touching each 
other, as Mary said gently, Here it is ! ” 

Sure enough, hidden way down among the 
grass-roots was a nest. It would have been 
almost invisible but for the five little fuzzy 
birds sleeping there. 


[ io8 ] 


A BOBOLINK’S NEST 


Nobody said a word. We just looked and 
looked. After a time we went quietly away. 
As we walked back across the fields I asked, 
Whose eyes were sharp enough to find that 
nest first ?” 

Mary’s,” said all the children together. 
^‘She is always out here,” said little Jim, 
and she finds lots of things.” 


[ 109 ] 


KOBIN BOOSTS 


A STRANGE story has been told about 
our robin redbreast. It is told by Mr. 
Bradford Torrey, who has studied birds 
and their ways for many years. 

Mr. Torrey noticed one summer that a 
number of robins flew past his house every 
evening. He found that the place to which 
they were going was a little wood near by. 
He watched this wood one evening and saw 
the robins flying into it by ones, twos, threes, 
and half dozens. 

After dark he went in among the trees and 
heard such a noise that he was sure hundreds 
of robins were roosting there. 

He went again another evening, and in a 
short time counted over three hundred robins 
flying into the wood. The next evening in 
fifty minutes he counted 1,072 birds. The day 
after he counted 1,533. 

[no] 


ROBIN ROOSTS 


Of course he could only watch one part of 
the wood at a time, and while he watched the 
robins flying in on one side, hundreds more 
flew in on the other side. 

He often went into the wood after dark, 
and has said that from the noise it seemed as 
if thousands must be roosting in that one place. 

Mr. Torrey cannot think why the robins 
should all want to sleep in one place, so far 
away from their nests. At first he thought 
only father robins did this, but he soon saw 
that mother robins and young robins came too. 

One evening, while he was watching, he 
saw a robin fly past the wood toward the 
North, as if he did not know where the place 
was. He met a flock of other robins flying 
South, and he seemed to ask them the way. 
They must have told him for he flew back with, 
them to the roost. Mr. Torrey thinks he had 
heard of it and was going there for the first 
time. 

He thought it would be a grand sight to see 
the hundreds of robins fly away together in the 
morning, so he went to the wood before sun- 
rise. He heard a song sparrow sing and then 
[HI] 


BIRD STORIES 


one robin flew out from among the trees. Then 
the other robins began to go away, but they 
did not go together. They slipped out as they 
had slipped in, by ones, twos, threes, and half 
dozens. Only a close watcher would have 
noticed that anything unusual was going on. I 
think you can guess why they went to bed and 
got up so quietly. 

By the end of August, Mr. Torrey counted 
only 137 birds where he had before seen 1,533. 
He knew by this that they had begun to go 
South. 

The next year he watched the roost again. 
He often saw so many robins go into the wood 
that he could not count them. 


[ H2 ] 


THE LAST BIEDS 


K eep a sharp lookout during the autumn 
days for the last birds which go South. 
Those which came up first in the spring 
are the last to go back. The swallow, who 
comes so late, goes away very early. 

The robins, bluebirds, catbirds, blackbirds, 
orioles, and bobolinks can easily be seen as 
they make ready to depart by getting together 
in flocks as if to talk it over. But when the 
little golden-crowned and ruby-crowned king- 
lets come slipping through, you will not see 
them, unless you are on the watch. These 
tiny birds are named from the bright spots on 
their heads. The colors show more at some 
times than at others, for the kinglet lifts up his 
head feathers into a sort of crest. 

The small black and white woodpeckers 
are among the last to leave. The little Ameri- 
can tree-creeper stays with us as long as he 

8 [113] 


BIRD STORIES 


can. He is the little speckled fellow you see 
on the tree-trunks who always seems to be on 
the other side. He is looking for insects and 
usually creeps with his head up. 

The little bird in gray and blue, who is seen 
on the same tree-trunks, but creeping head 
downward, is the nuthatch. He stays North 
very late and will even remain all winter if it 
is not too cold. 


[ 114 ] 


WINTER BIRDS 


I N MOST of our small towns, and in the 
city parks, there are many winter birds. 
Few people see them, however. Many 
people think that we have only the sparrows 
with us in winter, but this is not so. 

In October the snowbirds come down from 
the North. They bring with them the young 
birds they have raised during the summer. 
You may know the snowbird by his gray coat 
with its white trimmings. He flew North last 
April, twittering a sweet little song as he went. 
Now he is back with us again. He will eat 
the seeds left drying on the stalks of weeds 
and flowers. 

Many bluejays stay through the winter in 
the snowy parts of our country. A few wood- 
peckers may also be seen. Tiny gray-blue 
nuthatches surprise us on a mild day. Crows 

[ 115] 


BIRD STORIES 

can often be heard and the butcher-bird is 
busy. 

This bird is a fine looking fellow. He is 
gray, black, and white. He is about as large 
as a robin. He comes from the North in the fall 
and goes back in the spring. April is said to be 
his time for going North but I have seen him 
in June. He has a bad name, which I fear he 
deserves. He likes to eat small birds and even 
animals. After killing a mouse or a young 
bird he hangs it up on a thorn. He eats when 
he is hungry, and nearly always has food in 
his pantry. 

In one large city park the butcher-birds 
drove the sparrows into the streets. Hardly 
a sparrow was seen in the park that winter. 

One of our beautiful winter visitors is the 
snow-bunting. He is a white bird with some 
black markings. This bird is always seen in 
flocks. In cold weather they often come near, 
and even into the cities. They nest in the far 
North. 


[n6] 


HOUSE BIRDS 

T he house bird which you all know best is 
the canary. This gay, little singer comes 
from far away across the sea. There 
are many of them in the Canary Islands. They 
have lived in cages so long that they are quite 
contented there. They could not live out of 
doors during our cold winters and they do not 
know the way to the South. 

The mocking-bird is a house bird, but it 
should be a wild bird. Its home is in the 
southern part of our country. 

It is both wrong and cruel to put these 
birds in cages. People are tempted to do so 
because of their power of song. They can 
imitate the notes of other birds in a most won- 
derful way. 

Boys and men trap these birds in order to 
sell them. They are growing scarcer and 

[ 117 ] 


BIRD STORIES 


scarcer every year. By and by there will be 
no mocking-birds at all. 

Would it not be better to let the mocking- 
birds live where they will, and raise their 
young undisturbed ? If I had a mocking-bird 



I would set it free in the spring. I am sure it 
would find its way South. 

The same thing is true of the redbird w^hich 
you often see in cages. I wish every one who 
owns a redbird would let it out next spring. 

There is a writer, whose name is Olive 
Thorne Miller, who has written some delight- 
ful books which I hope you will read when you 
[ ii8] 


HOUSE BIRDS 

are older. In some of these books she tells 
about her house birds. 

In the fall she went to a bird-store and 
bought a number of wild birds which were 
there for sale. She kept them all winter in 
comfortable cages so that she might study 
their habits. In the spring she opened the 
cage doors and let them all fly away. 


[ " 9 ] 



I 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 


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Buttercups and cowslips arc plenty. 


WILD FLOWEES 


I F YOU live anywhere near the open coun- 
try you have often gathered wild flowers. 
You have found in April the dainty hepatica, 
or liverwort, in its furry coat. 

Perhaps you know the blood-root with its 
pure white petals, golden centre, and curious 
bleeding roots. 

The violet is everybody’s friend, and the 
spring-beauty grows in almost every wood. 

The dainty trillium, with its white petals 
and three green leaves, is often called a lily by 
children who do not know its real name. 

Buttercups and cowslips are plenty. Wild 
phlox, may-apple blossoms, grass-flowers, and 
dog-tooth violets call us to come out of doors. 

In some parts of our country the sweet may- 
flower, or trailing arbutus, blossoms under the 
leaves in late April or early May. 

Everybody loves wild flowers, and because 
we love them we should have a care for them. 
So many people go to the woods and fields to 
[ 123] 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 


pick them, so many boys sell them from door 
to door, so many men send them to the city to 
be sold on the street corners, that in a short 
time they will be scarce where now they are 
plenty. 

What can we do about it? We can re- 
member that wild flowers are most beautiful 
where they grow. We can go to see them in- 
stead of to pick them. We can be content 
with a few, instead of wishing to take home 
all we can carry. 

I know a man who carefully collects the 
seeds of wild flowers and sows them in quiet 
spots, where they will have a chance to live 
and grow. 

It seems too bad to bring home great hand- 
fuls of flowers only to throw them away, for 
they often wither as they are being carried in 
the hot sun. 

I know places in the woods where there 
used to be thousands of wild flowers which 
now are almost without any. I think that 
some day there will have to be a children’s 
Society of Flower Defenders as well as Bird 
Defenders. 

[ 124 ] 


V 


TREE BLOSSOMS 


T he first warm days of March coax out 
the pretty red blossoms of the maple 
tree. Other trees seem to be afraid to 
put on their spring dresses so soon. 

Early in April, however, many trees will 
put on a lace-like robe most beautiful to see. 
Look closely at their tiny flowers. Look at 
them through a magnifying glass if you can. 

The apple trees put on what looks like a 
green veil, and about the same time the cotton- 
wood tree decks itself out in red and yellow 
tassels. 

Long before even the most daring maple 
blossoms the pussy willows come out. They 
have such warm fur coats that they do not 
fear the spring frosts. 

There are many kinds of pussy willows. 
Some are tiny little things of so light a gray as 
[ 125 ] 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 


to seem almost white. Others are larger and 
grayer and look like families of Maltese kittens. 
Others still are faintly pink under the gray. 
Some pussy willows, or catkins, turn green as 
they grow older. Some turn yellow. The 
yellow ones are covered with pollen, or flower 
dust. The green ones bear the pistils on which 
the dust must fall if there are to be new wil- 
lows. 

About the first of May the honey-willow 
tree will show thousands of yellow tassels 
among its delicate, green leaves. These give 
the tree a wonderful golden look in the sun- 
shine. They send out a faint, sweet smell, and 
the bees buzz all about them. If you once 
see a honey-willow in full bloom on a sweet 
May day, you will never forget it. You will 
watch for its blossoming every May for the 
rest of your life. 

The locust tree will have a sweet-smelling 
white blossom in June, and in the same month 
the linden, or basswood tree, will be a grand 
sight. It will bear a wealth of fragrant, yellow 
flowers. 

The cherry trees bloom first among our 
[126] 


TREE BLOSSOMS 


fruit trees. Later come the apple blossoms 
and the pale, pink peach flowers. 

The wild crab-apple tree will be, in May, 
one of the most lovely sights of the spring. 
Wild cherry trees, June-berry, or squaw-berry, 
trees and hawthorne trees will all have a 
wealth of beauty for those who know and love 
them. 


[ 127] 


MAKING A GARDEN 


S EPTEMBER is the time to go into the 
garden to gather flower seeds for the 
next year. 

Every flower was once in a seed, and most 
plants make so many seeds during the summer 
that when autumn comes there is enough 
and to spare ’’ for us all. 

If you have no garden of your own go to 
some one who has and ask for a few seeds. I 
am sure that any one who loves flowers well 
enough to have a garden will be glad to give 
you all the seeds you want. 

Before you go, make some little paper 
envelopes in which to put the different kinds 
of seeds. Take a pencil with you so that you 
can write the names of the seeds on the envel- 
opes. 

Some flowers seed themselves ; that is, the 
seed which falls from them and lies on the 
[ 128] 


MAKING A GARDEN 


ground all winter, comes up of itself in the 
spring. Other flowers do not seed themselves. 
The seeds of these must be gathered and kept 
all winter. 

If you make a garden of the first of these 
you will only have to plant it once. In the 
next spring-time your work will be the weed- 
ing out of hundreds of tiny plants for which 
you will not have room. 

If you make a garden of the other sort of 
seeds you will have to plant every spring, but 
you will not have so much weeding to do. 

I will give you a list of some flowers which 
seed themselves, as it may help you in plan- 
ning your next year’s garden. 

Flowers which seed themselves. 


1 , As-ters 

2. Corn-flowers 

j. Morning-glories 
Pop-pies 

5. Balsam 

6. Sun-flowers 

7. Holly-hochs 

IS- Vi 


8. Mar-i-golds 
g. Pe-tun-i-as 

10. Larkspur 

11. To-bac-co-plants 

12. Port-ii-lac-ca 
ij. Mi-gnon-ette 
14. Snap-dr a g-ons 
'-be-nas 


[ 129 ] 


9 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 


In the country you will probably find all of 
these flowers in any garden to which you may 
go for seed. If you live in the city you can 
ask the gardeners in the parks for what you 
want. I think they will be glad to let you 
have as many seeds as you can plant. 

Sweet peas and nasturtiums have to be 
planted every spring. People do not often let 
them go to seed. They keep the flowers 
picked off so closely that the seeds have no 
chance to form. Some kinds of nasturtiums 
have no seeds. Other kinds form large seeds 
of which very good pickles can be made. As 
the seeds form, pick them and drop them into 
a jar of vinegar. That is all you have to do to 
make good nasturtium pickles. 


[ Oo] 

\ 


TOADS 


O NE of the gardener’s friends is the toad. 
His worst enemy is the insect, that is, 
the thousands of insects which eat up or 
injure his plants. The toads eat the insects. 

The toad sits very still, looking like a lump 
of dirt, waiting for some flying or crawling 
thing which he wants to eat. He darts out 
his tongue so quickly that one can hardly see 
him do it. He is as skillful as he is quick. He 
does not often miss his mark. Toads are kept 
in greenhouses by florists, and we should wel- 
come them to our gardens. 

They have a way of changing their skins 
every once in a while. They take them off as 
one would a shirt or a coat. After they are 
taken off they are swallowed by their owners. 

Toads like the dusk of the evening and 
dawn of the morning better than the bright 
sunshine. They sleep in the ground all winter. 

[131] 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 

In the spring they get into the water, if they 
can, to lay their eggs. These eggs change 
into tadpoles and later into toads. 

These queer little creatures dig their way 
into the earth with their hind legs, backing 
into the hole as it is made. Sometimes they 
live thirty or forty years. They are not very 
pretty and many people dislike them. Chil- 
dren tell each other that they will get warts if 
they touch a toad. This is not true. 

The toad, to be sure, is covered with lumps 
that look like warts. These lumps are filled 
with a sort of juice. If a dog takes a toad in 
his mouth the toad lets this juice come out. It 
burns the dog’s mouth, and while it does not 
really hurt him, it makes him drop the toad. 
This is the toad’s way of taking care of him- 
self. 


[ 132 ] 


V 



‘ The doiT and the toad. 









JAPANESE FLOWERS 

N O PEOPLE are more fond of flowers 
than the Japanese. They make the 
most beautiful gardens and raise the 
most wonderful flowers in the world. Think 
of wisteria blossoms four or five feet long and 
peonies as large as a dinner plate ! 

Every year these flower lovers hold flower 
festivals, and some of them last for days to- 
gether. At these times every one who can 
goes to the places where the flowers grow. 
They go just to look at them and to enjoy 
them. 


[ 133 ] 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 

The first festival is that of the plum blossoms. 
In February, before any leaves come out on 
the plum trees, they are covered with beauti- 
ful flowers. Then the people gather together 
wherever plum trees grow. They write 
poems in their honor on thin pieces of paper 
which they fasten to the trees. Everybody 
has a fine time enjoying the blossoms and the 
bright spring da3^s. 

Later comes the festival of the cherry blos- 
soms. These also come out on the trees be- 
fore the leaves. They are of every shade of 
pink and rose-color, and so beautiful that they 
are known all over the world. This is the 
greatest of all the flower festivals. 

There is a celebration when the iris is in 
bloom. There is one for the lotus, and one 
for the wisteria. In the fall there is another 
for the lovely, red maple leaves, and a great 
celebration for the chrysanthemum. 

All of these flowers are much more beauti- 
ful in Japan than in any other country. Man}^ 
of the plants have been growing for hundreds 
of years. 

Every Japanese house has its garden, and 

[ U4 ] 


JAPANESE FLOWERS 


indoors are vases of flowers most beautifully 
arranged. Japanese ladies take lessons in ar- 
ranging flowers as well as in making tea. 

The Japanese have many wonderful and 
curious plants which will not grow in our 
country. One of these is a dwarf tree. It 
looks like one of our great forest trees but is 
only twelve or fifteen inches high. 


[135] 


WEEDS 


W EEDS are so common round about us 
that we do not often think of them. 
When we do, our thoughts are not 
very pleasant for they make us much trouble 
at times. Yet the more we know about them 
the more interesting they become. This is 
true of many things. 

Did you ever stop to wonder where so 
many weeds come from? No one plants them 
or tries to raise them, yet the world is full of 
them. Let any sort of a hole be dug, and a 
pile of earth thrown up, it will soon be cov- 
ered with weeds. This is true even when the 
dirt comes from deep down in the earth, as 
when wells are made. 

Weeds seem to be as fond of people as some 
animals are. Wherever a man makes his 
home, there the weeds come. They like a 
cultivated country better than a wild one. 

Some weeds are like old friends. You have 
[136] 


WEEDS 


surely gathered catnip for your cats, and chick- 
weed and plantain for your birds. 

When I was a child we lived, for a time, in 
a large city where our only wild flowers were 
weeds. We often gathered the pretty, yellow, 
wild mustard, and the dandelions were our best 
friends. 

There was a plant called smartweed, which 
had a pink flower on it. We often gathered 
handfuls of these blossoms, even though, true 
to its name, it made our hands smart sadly 
afterward. 

We also gathered bouquets of pigweed, in 
spite of its unpleasant smell ; we made parasols 
of the big burdock leaves, and trimmed our 
hats with the tall grasses. 

Weeds like to travel. They often hide 
themselves in seed grain and get planted with 
it. In this way they go all over the world. 
They have many ways of getting about. Some 
fly, like the thistles and the milkweed babies. 
Some float down rivers and streams. Some 
are carried from place to place by birds, ani- 
mals, and even people. Have you not come 
home from a walk covered with tiny pitchfork- 

[ 137 ] 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 

shaped seeds ? Do you know the sand thorn 
and the prickly burdock burr ? 

Weeds seem actually to travel of them- 
selves along the country roads. A new weed 
nearly always appears first on a roadside. 
Then it moves along, mile after mile. 

No matter how hard one works, or how 
sharply one looks, in weeding a field or gar- 
den, a few weeds are bound to escape. They 
see to it that there are plenty more of their 
kind ready for next year. 

The thistle is a weed which has traveled to 
this country and with which farmers must 
wage constant warfare. 

There is an old story of a giant, who had a 
hundred arms. As fast as one was cut off two 
grew in its place. The wild carrot is like this 
giant. If you cut off its head, two heads grow 
in the place of the lost one. 

When weeds are cut down again and again 
they seem to know that they must hurry if 
they are to ripen seeds before frost. Late in 
the season you will often see weeds, which 
usually send up long stalks, ripening their 
seeds on a verv short one. 

[ 138] 


WEEDS 


The mullen with its big flannel-like leaves, 
is said to be called in other countries ^‘The 
Great American Velvet Plant.” Children call 
these leaves fairy blankets.” 

The wild onion is one of the first plants to 
come up in the spring. From wild sorrel, or 
sour-grass, a very good soup can be made. 

You have all seen women and children dig- 
ging up tender young dandelion greens in 
March and April. These are only good for 
food before the plant has bloomed. 

Poison ivy is one of the most troublesome 
weeds, but cattle eat it unharmed. 


[139] 


BUTTEKFLIES 



D uring the summer you will see many 
beautiful butterflies. Perhaps you will 
like to know more about them. The 
best way to learn is to watch them yourself. 

You will have a much better time 
that way than by catch- 
ing them. 

A butterfly dancing 
in the sunshine, 
feeding on a 
flower, or lay- 
ing its eggs, is 
much more in- 
teresting than 
when it lies crushed 
in your hand, or when 
it is beating its wings 
Watch them yourself/’ under a glass. 

There are so many kinds of butterflies, and 
[ 140] 


BUTTERFLIES 


some of them are so lovely, that it will pay 
you to go to a museum just to see them. 
The loveliest of them come from the warmer 
countries. 

Our butterflies do their flying by day. They 
rest and sleep at night. Some of them look so 
like their cousins, the moths, that it is hard to 
tell them apart at times. If you look closely 
enough to see whether there is a knob on the 
end of the horns, you may be sure that it is a 
butterfly. The ends of the moths’ horns are 
pointed. 

The butterfly has a long trunk, or tube, 
which it rolls up when it is not in use. With 
this the insect feeds. It can thrust it far down 
into the flowers to get the honey. 

Butterflies drink water. You will often see 
them near wet places. 

Some butterflies look very much like flow- 
ers. I was once gathering wild tiger lilies. 
There were many butterflies about, which 
were red and spotted like the lilies. More 
than once I went toward what I thought 
was a lily, only to see my pretty flower fly 
away. 


[141] 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 


Hans Andersen tells a story of some flowers 
that went to a ball every night and flew home 
in the morning. People thought they were 
butterflies as they came through the air but 
they were really flying flowers. 

This tale is called “Little Ida’s Flowers.” 


[ M2 ] 


BEES 


B ees are among the most wonderful of all 
insects. You all know that they make 
honey and that they sting, but I hope you 
also know that they do not often sting if they 
are let alone. If one should sting you, how- 
ever, remember that a little damp earth, or 
mud, is the best thing to use. 

Every swarm of bees has a queen. Her 
work is to lay the eggs from which come the 
new bees. 

There are also bees called drones. These 
are the father bees, but they do no work. The 
other bees are called the workers. These are 
the bees which build the waxen cells, feed the 
babies, and gather the honey. 

Some of the cells are made for honey and 
some are cradles for baby bees. In these the 
queen bee lays her eggs. The workers put 
flower dust, or bee bread, beside the eggs. 
[ M3 ] 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 


This is for the baby bees to eat when they 
come out of the eggs. 

The babies are first tiny grubs, or worms. 
Later they turn into bees. 

The bees know that some of the babies will 
grow up to be workers, some drones, and some 
queens. The babies that are to be queens 
have the largest cells and the best food. 

After the grubs have had all they need to 
eat, the cells are sealed up and they go to 
sleep, to wake up bees. 

When a new queen bee is ready to come 
out she begins to sing. This song makes the 
old queen very angry. She does not want 
another queen in her hive. She flies at the 
cells to kill the new queen but the work bees 
will not let her do it. Then she flies away to 
some new place, and many workers go with 
her. People say then, The bees are swarm- 
ing.” 

The work bees who stay behind watch the 
cells till the first new queen comes out. She 
looks very fine in her dress of velvet and gold. 
They give her food to eat and seem very glad 
to see her. 


[ M4 ] 


BEES 


As soon as the next queen comes out, there 
is trouble. The two queens fight until one or 
the other is killed. If they stop fighting, even 
to rest, the workers make them go on. They 
want to know which is the stronger. 

When at last one is dead the other tears 
open the queen bee cells and kills all the rest 
of the queens. 

She is now Queen of the Hive and the 
other bees are her subjects. They seem very 
proud of her and take good care of her. 

She only leaves the hive twice in her life, 
once to fly about in the sun and air, and once 
when she leaves the hive to the next queen 
bee. 



[ 145 ] 


DRAGON-FLIES 

C HILDREN call dragon-flies ^Marning 
needles.’’ They are sometimes afraid of 
them. They tell each other that these 
insects sew up mouths and ears. This is not 
true. Dragon-flies are perfectly harmless. 
They are so pretty that many beautiful names 
have been given them. Flying Flowers,” 
^^Air Jewels,” and ‘^Little Ladies,” are some 
of the names. 

Dragon-flies are fond of wet places. They 
lay their eggs in the water. 

The dragon-flies’ bodies are red, blue, or 
green. Their wings are like fine lace. Their 
great, round eyes are made up of thousands of 
little eyes. They eat other insects, and spend 
most of their time flying about in the sunshine, 
looking for food. 

Mother Dragon-fly drops her eggs into the 
water. She knows they will be safe there for 
they are water-proof. 

L m6] 


DRAGON-FLIES 



When the tiny worms, or larvae, hatch out 
they at once begin to look for something to 
eat. They lie quite still in the water, waiting 
for something good to 
float by. They have 
curious lower jaws. 

These are some- Jl? 
thing like long, 
folding rods. When 
anything pas s e s 
which will do for 
food, out shoots the 
rod, and the prey is 
caught. 

These tiny, gray, six- 
legged water-worms are 
not very pretty. They 
do not look much like 
their mothers. 

I read a strange story 
one day about this worm. "" They are sometimes afraid 
The story told how the of ihemr 

man who first made screw-steamboats got his 
idea from this worm, by watching it move 
through the water. 


[ 147 ] 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 


The larva changes into another sort of crea- 
ture, called a pupa. It still has six legs. It 
also has strong feet with hooks on them. This 
queer creature is very lively, and keeps darting 
here, there, and everywhere, in search of food. 

As it gets older its case, or covering, grows 
more like glass, and its eyes get brighter. At 
last it seems to get tired and sleepy. It swims 
to the edge of the pond and travels up a stem 
or weed into the sunshine. It finds a place it 
likes and takes tight hold of it with its hooked 
feet. 

Then a wonderful thing happens. The 
glassy case splits open in the back. Inside is 
a beautiful dragon-fly. It has a hard struggle 
to free itself from its old body, but at last it 
gets out. It rests awhile, and then flies away 
into the sunshine. 

Perhaps, by looking into a still pond you 
can see baby dragon-flies. Perhaps, your eyes 
will be sharp enough to spy old pupa cases on 
the grasses and weeds near the edge. Per- 
haps, you may even see a dragon-fly coming 
out of its case. 


[ 148] 


GRASSHOPPERS 


T his summer the fields, meadows, prairies, 
and even vacant lots in the cities will be 
full of grasshoppers. You will have 
plenty of time, during the long vacation, to 
watch these lively fellows. I will tell you 
some things to look for. 

You can tell Mr. Grasshopper from Mrs. 
Grasshopper because it is Mr. Grasshopper 
who does all the singing for the family. Like 
his cousin, the katydid, he sings with his 
wings, by rubbing them together. 

You may see Mrs. Grasshopper laying her 
eggs. She has a sharp sword, or egg-placer, 
at the end of her body. With this she makes 
a hole, or nest, in the ground for her tiny eggs. 
Many insects lay their eggs in this way. 

As you watch the flying grasshopper, try 
to see the wings. When he lights notice the 

[ 149 ] 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 

wing covers. You know how long and strong 
his hind legs are. If you catch a grasshopper 
look at the place where his wings join his 
body. You will find there the little drum on 
which he makes his music. 

Grasshoppers eat green growing things, and 
live creatures as well. I am sorry to say that 
they sometimes fight, kill, and eat one another. 

When Mother Grasshopper has laid her 
eggs she closes up the nest, for the eggs are to 
stay there all winter. 

The babies come up out of the ground in 
the spring. They look something like their 
mothers, but they have no wings. They have 
a way of changing their skins, and when the 
skin is changed for the last time, one can see 
the wings beginning to grow. The insect is 
then a real grasshopper. 

Grasshopper babies eat a great deal, but 
after they are grown up they eat but little. 
Mr. Grasshopper spends much of his time in 
singing. He does not sing as he flies, but 
when he is standing still. He also spends a 
good deal of his time cleaning himself. You 
have seen flies do this. Ants do it also. 

[ ^ 50 ] 


GRASSHOPPERS 


The big, gray grasshopper with yellow 
wings likes best to live in the trees. 

Grasshoppers live alone, each one by itself. 
Sometimes great numbers of them come out 
at the same time and eat every green thing in 
their way. Miles of country, in some of our 
Western States, have been at times laid bare 
by these insects. 

When frost comes all the grasshoppers die. 
There are no more of them until the next sum- 
mer when, from the eggs placed in the ground, 
will come thousands of new grasshoppers. 


[ ] 


CRICKETS 


O NE of our commonest insects is the 
cricket. This cheerful little singer is 
heard wherever there is grass and open 
country. He can be easily seen, as he runs 
about during the day. 

The cricket is shaped something like his 
cousin, the katydid. His wings are large, and 
his wing cases small. If you look at him 
closely you will see his wings rolled up at his 
sides. 

Some crickets sing by day, and others by 
night. Mrs. Cricket does not sing but under 
Mr. Cricket’s left wing cover are three strong 
veins. One of these is rough and he draws 
this across his right wing cover, making the 
music we all have heard. 

They eat almost everything. They like 
vegetables, leaves, grass, and meat. They 
even eat leather and cloth. They are fond of 
[ 152 ] 


CRICKETS 

drinking too. They will take coffee, tea, milk, 
soup, or water. 

Crickets do not make much use of their 
long wings. They would rather walk than fly. 

The cricket’s house is a hole, and each one 
lives alone. Mr. Cricket often sits in his door- 
way watching for food. He is easily frightened 
and runs into his house if any one comes near. 

Mrs. Cricket lays eggs in her house. Baby 
crickets look like their mothers but, like young 
grasshoppers, they have no wings at first. As 
soon as they are hatched they come out of the 
house and each one digs a hole for itself. 

Most people like crickets for they are cheer- 
ful and harmless little creatures. We begin 
to hear them in July and by the first of August 
they are singing in full chorus. 


[ 153 ] 


KATYDIDS 


T he katydids begin to sing about the first 
of August. Perhaps you will hear some- 
body say then, There will be frost in 
six weeks.” Many people believe that the frost 
comes just six weeks after the katydids are 
heard. A good way to find out whether this 
is true or not is to watch them yourself from 
year to year. 

The katydids have been named from their 
song which seems to say : 

“Katy did^ she did! 

She didnH^ she did/dt! 

Katy did^ she did! 

Katy didnH^ Katy did/i^t!^^ 

Mr. Katydid makes this sound by rubbing 
his stiff wing covers together. Mrs. Katydid 
does not sing. Her summer’s work is to bore 
holes in the twigs of the trees and to lay eggs 

[ 154 1 


KATYDIDS 

in the holes. Sometimes she makes a nest in 
the ground. 

Katydids hide under the leaves of the trees 
during the day. They do not begin to sing 
until dark. 

In some parts of our country there are no 
katydids. In other parts they make such a 
noise that people who are not used to them 
can hardly sleep. They are more common in 
the West than in the East. 

Katydids are about an inch and a half long. 
They have wings and long wing covers. These 
come together like the two parts of a pea pod. 
Their legs are something like those of the 
grasshopper. They are of a light green color, 
but when I was a little girl I once found one 
which was bright pink. 

If you wish to keep a katydid for a time 
you must feed it on fruit. It will live for some 
weeks, but all katydids die soon after the frost 
comes. Next year’s katydids will come out of 
this year’s eggs. 


[155] 


SQUIRRELS 


I N SOME towns the red and the gray squir- 
rels dart about among the trees as com- 
monly as birds. You often see one of the 
furry-coated little fellows skipping along a wall 
or fence, scampering up a tree, or leaping from 
bough to bough. 

Some squirrels build large nests high up in 
the trees. They have store-houses known 
only to themselves, where they hide their win- 
ter supply of nuts. 

In one of the cities of Illinois there is a park 
in the heart of the town. It is surrounded on 
four sides by business streets. This park is 
full of red squirrels which are very tame. The 
policemen keep a close watch over them, but 
the boys of that town do not seem to think of 
chasing or throwing stones at the squirrels. 
The business men, going to and from their 
offices and stores, often carry nuts for their 

[ 156] 


SQUIRRELS 

little neighbors. One of these men told me 
that the squirrels ate out of his hand. 

In another city a man, who is a friend to 
animals and birds, bought a number of squir- 
rels. He turned them loose among the trees 
and they soon spread all over the town. Now 
the parks and shady streets are made lively by 
the presence of these gay little citizens. 

In this same city a gentleman noticed, one 
winter day, some tiny foot-prints in the snow on 
the roof of his porch. Near the porch was an 
old oak tree. By keeping watch he found that 
his neighbors were a pair of flying squirrels, 
who lived in the tree. They had some pri- 
vate business in the attic and, finding a way in, 
had trodden a little path from the hole in the 
tree to the one in the house. 

Some squirrels sleep nearly all winter. They 
come out only once in a while for food. 

There are squirrels who have two kinds of 
nests. One they make in a hollow tree. In 
this they raise their little ones and they also 
spend the winter there, but they build a sum- 
mer nest out on the branches. 

Squirrels and birds are not very good 

[ 157] 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 

friends. The four-footed rascals are too fond 
of birds’ eggs. 

The little striped chipmunk is sometimes 
called a ground squirrel. He sleeps in his hole 
in the ground all winter and comes out on the 
first warm day of March. He has a store of 
nuts in his snug little dwelling place and wakes 
up once in a while to eat, but he does not care 
to go out in the cold. He lives quite alone. 

He is a very lively and a very watchful lit- 
tle fellow. Indeed, he has to be so for he is 
surrounded by enemies. The cats, weasels, 
snakes, owls, and hawks are all watching for 
him. 

When the chipmunk is getting his house 
ready for winter he makes good use of the 
pockets in his cheeks. He picks up leaves 
with his tiny hands, stuffs his cheek-pockets 
full, and carries them so, again and again, into 
his hole. 


[ 158] 


REINDEER 



T CHRISTMAS time you see many 
tures of Santa Claus’ reindeer, 
drives eight of them together. 


pic- 

He 


‘‘Dasher and Dajicer^ 
Prancer and Vixen^ 
Comet and Cupid^ 
Donder and Blitze^iP 


You have of course noticed their horns. 
The growth of a deer’s horns is very strange. 
Fresh horns grow every spring, the old ones 
having fallen off. They grow very fast, and 
are so soft and smooth that the deer at this 
time are said to be in the velvet.” When the 
horns are full grown this velvet comes off. 
The deer rubs as much of it off as he can. 

His horns and his hoofs are used in fighting 
his battles. The reindeer, however, has other 
uses for his hoofs. He uses them to kick the 
snow from the moss, which is his winter food. 

[ 159] 


OUT-DOOR STORIES 


The reindeer is the Laplander’s best friend. 
Lapland is a country in the far North. Its 
people are called Laplanders. The reindeer is 
their horse, their cow, and their sheep. It 
draws their sledges like a horse ; it gives them 
milk like a cow ; its skin is used for clothing, 
and its flesh for food. 

The reindeer is very hardy and strong. It 
can bear great cold and draw heavy loads. 
For this reason many of them were taken from 
Lapland to the Klondike gold fields of America, 
but they could not live their. 

The summer food of the Lapland reindeer 
consists of the tender young twigs of birch and 
willow trees. At this time of the year the deer 
want to go to the sea-shore, just as the birds 
want to go South in the winter. The Laplanders 
go with them and they all come back together 
in the fall. 

There are wild reindeer in America. The 
Indians are fond of hunting them. They use 
the skins for clothing and also for covering 
their wigwams. 


[ i6o] 


STORIES OE OUR COEI^'TRY 


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ir* 


THANKSGIVING DAY 


E ver since the first Thanksgiving cele- 
bration the people of our country have 
had a Thanksgiving Day. We set 
aside one day in the year on which to especially 
remember God’s goodness to us as a Nation. 
Schools and shops, offices and factories, stores 
and banks, are closed. As far as possible all 
work is stopped, so that all who wish to do so 
may go to Church. Nearly everybody has a 
holiday, and there are many games and sports 
in the afternoon, just as there were long years 
ago on the first Thanksgiving. 

The last Thursday of November has been 
chosen for this holiday. Two or three weeks 
before, the President sends out a Thanksgiv- 
ing Proclamation, This is a sort of letter 
written to the people. It reminds them of 
God’s goodness ; it asks that all work shall 
stop on that day as far as possible \ it recom- 
[ 163 ] 


STORIES OF OUR COUNTRY 


mends that every one go to his own church 
for thanks-giving. 

This is a great day for family gatherings. 
Every mother gets ready as fine a dinner as 
she can. She is sure to have a turkey, for our 
Pilgrim Fathers not only had it for their first 
Thanksgiving dinner, but for many Thanksgiv- 
ing dinners afterward. Pumpkins and cran- 
berries were much used by them, and so we 
like to have pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce 
with our turkey. 

Some mothers put five grains of corn by 
each plate at the dinner. This is because at 
one of the early Thanksgiving dinners that was 
all they had to eat. 


[ 164 J 


THE PILGKIMS IN HOLLAND 


Y OU have heard, perhaps, of how Columbus 
sailed across the sea to find our country. 
You know that after he found it many 
other people followed him. Among the brav- 
est and best of these were the Pilgrim Fathers. 

While living in England these people were 
called Puritans. They were not happy in 
their English homes. The King did not like 
them because they would not worship God as 
he wanted them to. They did not think his 
way of worshiping God was right. 

The King often sent his soldiers among 
them to make them do as he wished. Some- 
times the soldiers drove them from their homes, 
and sometimes they put them in prison. For 
all this, neither the King nor his soldiers could 
make the Puritans do what they thought was 
wrong. But at last they made up their minds 
to leave their homes. Across the English 

[ 165] 


STORIES OF OUR COUNTRY 

Channel was a country called Holland. Its 
people were the Dutch, and they were known 
to be kind to strangers. To this country came 
the Puritans, fathers, mothers, and children. 

In place of the hills they had left they found 
a flat country which was lower than the sea. 
To keep the water from coming in, the patient, 
hard-working Dutch people had built dikes 
along the shore. The dikes were high banks 
of earth, stone, and cement. 

Holland is full of lakes and ponds, and 
many canals have been made there. Canals 
are water-roads, and there is one in nearly 
every town in the country. People ride from 
town to town on boats. In winter, when these 
water-streets freeze there is grand skating. 
The men skate to work, the women skate to 
market, the children skate to school, and every- 
body skates for fun. For those who do not 
wish to skate there are ice-boats, sleds, and 
sliding-chairs. 

Holland is so flat that the wind blows over 
it most of the time. For this reason the Dutch 
have built many wind-mills which help them 
in their work. 


[ i66] 


THE PILGRIMS IN HOLLAND 

Holland is one of the homes of the stork. 
Every Dutchman hopes that a pair of these big 
birds will build on his chimney. Often he puts 
a cart-wheel on it to tempt the storks to build 



The children skate to school/’ 

there. They are never hurt or frightened by 
any one. 

You would think that the Puritans might 
have been happy in this strange land, but for 
many reasons they were not contented there 
[ 167] 


STORIES OF OUR COUNTRY 


One was that their little children began to 
talk Dutch instead of English. The fathers 
and mothers thought that would never do, so 
they began to make plans for a new home. 

They had heard of the new country across 
the sea which Columbus had found and thought 
if they could once get there they would be free 
to live in their own way. So they hired two 
ships to take them to America. One was 
called the Speedwell and the other was The 
Mayflower. 


[ 168 J 


THE PILGRIMS AT SEA 


I T WAS about this time that the Puritans 
began to call themselves Pilgrims. A pil- 
grim is one who has no home and who 
travels from place to place. 

These Pilgrims found themselves once more 
upon the water. They had not gone very far 
before they discovered that the Speedwell was 
not strong enough for the long voyage across 
the sea. Both ships had to turn back, and 
then some of the people on the Speedwell 
were taken on board the Mayflower. 

All alone, this famous ship set sail for the 
new country, ^^the land of the free and the 
home of the brave.” There were on board 
about one hundred people. This was more 
than the ship was intended to carry. The 
fathers, mothers, and children were so crowded 
that they were very uncomfortable. The sea 
was rough, which of course made many of 
them seasick. 


[ 169] 


STORIES OF OUR COUNTRY 

For two long months they were tossed 
about on the stormy ocean. It must have been 
very hard for them as they sailed on day after 
day, out of sight of land, not even seeing the 
sail of another ship. 

I suppose the children amused themselves 
as best they could, but there was not very 
much that they could do in the crowded cab- 
ins. What a pleasant surprise it must have 
been to them one day to hear that a little baby 
had been born on the ship ! His mother 
named him Oceanus because he was born on 
the ocean. He must have been a great pet 
among the children, and I hope his mother 
often let them take care of him. 

At last the Mayflower came in sight of 
land ! How they must have shouted when the 
lookout first cried, ^‘Land ho!” How they 
must have crowded to see the dark line against 
the sky ! Nearer and nearer they came I The 
dark line grew into rocks, hills, and trees, and 
the Pilgrims could see what kind of a land 
their new home was. 

If any of the children had been thinking of 
green trees, grass, and flowers they must have 
[ 170] 


THE PILGRIMS AT SEA 


been sadly disappointed. They saw instead 
cold, bleak rocks, bare branches, and frozen 
sand, for it was December. 

The ship came to anchor. Some of the 
men, among whom was Captain Miles Stan- 
dish, rowed to shore in a small boat. They 
hoped to find some white people but could not 
see a single house anywhere. The only living 
beings near were some Indians, and they were 
so frightened when they saw the pale-faces” 
that even they ran away. 

After much rowing up and down the shore, 
and to and fro from the ship, a spot was chosen 
for a landing. This was called Plymouth 
Rock. 

If to-day you should go to the town of Ply- 
mouth, in Massachusetts, it would be pointed 
out to you as the landing place of the Pilgrims. 


[ D* 1 


THE INDIANS 


I N THIS new country to which the Pilgrims 
had come, was a strange people. They 
were called by Columbus Indians. He 
thought when he first came to America that 
he had found the East India Islands, so he 
called the people he found there Indians. 

These Indians were savages. They lived 
in tents made of skins, which they called wig- 
wams. Their clothing was made of the skins 
and furs of wild animals. They were fond of 
painting themselves and of wearing beads and 
feathers. They made their beads of shells. 
They used bows and arrows for hunting, and 
carried a sort of hatchet called a tomahawk. 
They were often at war with each other and 
were sometimes very cruel. 

The Indian women, who were called 
squaws, did all the work. They cooked the 
food, made the clothes, and planted and hoed 
the corn. Whenever the tribe moved, and 
Indians move often, the squaws did all the 
[ 172 ] 


THE INDIANS 


packing, carrying, and settling again. The 
men did the hunting and the fighting. Indian 
babies were called papooses. 

These wild men made themselves boats of 
birch-bark, which they called canoes. Some- 
times they hollowed out the trunk of a tree 
for a boat. This kind of boat was called a 
dug-out by the white men. 

When the Indians on the islands where 
Columbus landed first saw his ships they 
thought they were great white birds flown 
down from the skies. They thought the white 
men were angels or gods who had come down 
from Heaven, and they were much afraid of 
them. 

When they first saw and heard a gun they 
were terribly frightened, but later they learned 
to use guns themselves. 

The white men soon found out how fond 
the Indians were of glass beads, looking- 
glasses, and trinkets of all sorts. They brought 
many of these from across the sea and traded 
them for furs, which the Indian hunters were 
glad to sell. The Indians were often friendly 
to the white men and glad to trade with them. 

[ 173 ] 


PLYMOUTH COLONY 


G lad indeed must the tired Pilgrims have 
been to feel solid ground under their 
feet once more. They kneeled down 
on the frozen snow to thank God for bringing 
them safely to land. 

A long, hard winter was before them but 
they went bravely to work. There was every- 
thing to do for, you must remember, there was 
not a single house or home of any kind where 
they landed. 

The first house was begun on Christmas 
Day. We can imagine how hard they all 
worked, chopping down trees, and getting logs 
ready for the cabins. Some must have had to 
go hunting, others fishing, and others must 
have been chosen to cut fire wood. 

They had need to be very brave for, besides 
being cold and hungry, many of the Pilgrims 
were sick. Often so many were ill that there 

[ 174] 


PLYMOUTH COLONY 


were hardly enough people to do the work. 
Many of the sick ones died. Before spring 
came more than half of them had traveled to 
the Heavenly Country, never to be Pilgrims 
again. Besides this, there were wild beasts 
and savage Indians to fear and fight. 

At last the long, cold winter was over. The 
sick people began to get well. Friendly In- 
dians came to see them. These Indians showed 
the Pilgrims how to plant Indian corn. 

The men went to work getting the ground 
ready for planting. They sowed corn, oats, 
and wheat. They also planted vegetables. 
They built a church and made their homes 
more comfortable. 

The children now had the birds, squirrels, 
and butterflies for playmates, and the woods 
for a playground. The summer days must 
have seemed very pleasant to them after such 
a hard winter. 


[ 175 ] ' 


THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 


W HEN autumn came the Pilgrim Fathers 
were very busy getting in their harvest. 
The barns and store-houses were filled 
with wheat, corn, and other food. They knew 
now what kind of a winter to look for but they 
did not fear it. They had spent spring, sum- 
mer, and fall getting ready for it. 

Besides storing away food, they had made 
their houses warmer, there was plenty of wood 
to burn, they had learned how to hunt and 
fish, and they had made friends with some of 
the Indians. 

They were so thankful for all this that they 
set aside a day for thanks-giving. After thank- 
ing God in their homes for all His goodness to 
them, they went to church to thank Him to- 
gether. Then they had a great Thanksgiving 
party, to which they invited the friendly In- 
dians. 


[176] 


■ 



The children gathered nuts in the woods.” 




THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 


Men were sent out hunting. They brought 
back many ducks, geese, and wild turkeys. 
Some brought fish and clams from the sea. 
Others came home with deer on their shoul- 
ders. The mothers made bread, cakes, and 
pies. The children gathered nuts in the woods. 
Almost one hundred Indians came to the feast, 
and many of them stayed for three days. They 
must have looked very strange to the children, 
in their furs, feathers, and paint, but by this 
time, perhaps, they were used to seeing sav- 
ages about Plymouth. 

The Indians had games, races, and shoot- 
ing matches. In some of these the young 
white men took part. 

This was the first Thanksgiving celebration 
in our country. 


12 


[> 77 ] 


A STORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 


A GREAT many stories are told about 
Abraham Lincoln and this is one of them. 
You must know that he was a poor 
boy and had to work very hard. He went to 
school but a short time and afterward had to 
teach himself. He learned many things and 
became a great, wise, and good man. You 
know of course that he was one of our best 
Presidents. This story shows how brave and 
honest he was as a boy. 

Abraham was very fond of reading and one 
time borrowed a book of a neighbor. Books 
were very scarce in those days, and he promised 
to be very careful of it. He read the book by 
the light of the fire. When he went to bed 
he used to put it carefully away on a high 
shelf. 

One night there was a hard rain. The roof 
leaked right over the place where the book lay 
[ 178] 


A STORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

on the shelf and, of course, it was ruined. The 
poor boy was in great distress, for he had no 
money with which to buy a new book. 

There was bul one thing to do. He went 
at once to the owner of the book, told him 
what had happened and offered to work on 
his farm until the book was paid for. 

This is the way Abraham Lincoln bought 
his first book. 


[ 179 J 


A STORY OF 

GEORGE WASHINGTON 

A S MANY stories are told of the boy 
George Washington as of the boy Abra- 
ham Lincoln. The one I like best is 
about his great longing to be a sailor. 

He often saw splendid ships sail up the 
river near his home and he had wished ever 
since he was a very little boy that he might 
some day sail away in one of them. 

When he was fourteen years old he begged 
his older brother to get him a place on a ship 
as he wished to be a sailor. His brother 
thought he was quite old enough to go to 
work and that a ship would be a good place 
for him. This brother was the head of the 
family, for the father was dead. 

He found a ship on which there was a place 
for a boy. George was very happy when he 
was told that he could go. He began to get 
[ i8o] 


A STORY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON 


ready at once. His mother said nothing, but 
helped him in his preparations. There were 
clothes to be made and mended. There were 
many things to be bought, for the voyage was 
to be a long one. There was his sea-chest to 
be packed. 

The chest was at last carried on board the 
ship. The happy boy was dressed in his sail- 
or’s clothes, or sea-togs ” as he called them. 
All was ready, and the time came for saying 
good-bye. 

Then the poor mother broke down. She 
said she could not part with her boy. She felt 
that he was too young to go so far away from 
home alone. 

George was bitterly disappointed but he at 
once gave up his hope of being a sailor. He 
had his chest brought back from the ship. He 
changed his clothes and took up his old work 
of helping his mother about the farm. 

I do not think that even after he became a 
General he ever did a braver thing than this, 
for we are told that he not only did it, but that 
he did it cheerfully. 


[i8i] 


UP MOUNT WASHINGTON 


I HOPE every American child will some day 
go up Mount Washington. This is the 
highest peak of the White Mountains, and 
it can be seen from miles away. 

In old times travelers went up the mountain 
on horseback or on foot. Now there is a little 
railway to the top. 

At the foot of the mountain you take the 
train, which consists of one car and a funny 
little engine. There is a middle rail on which 
cog-wheels are run. These wheels catch 
every time they turn, so the train can be 
stopped at once if it is necessary. You go up 
the mountain in a very slow and jerky way, 
but every click of the cog-wheel says to you, 
‘Ht’s all right ! You are perfectly safe !” 

The road stretches up the mountain side so 
steeply that you wonder how even an engine 
with cog-wheels can push you up there. 

Up and up and up you go ! If it is June 
[ 182] 


UP MOUNT WASHINGTON 


you will first pass through a summer-land of 
trees, flowers, and ripe strawberries. As you 
go higher the trees become smaller, there is 
moss instead of grass, and strawberries give 
place to strawberry blossoms. 

Up and up you go ! Now you see straw- 
berry plants without blossoms. The trees are 
growing smaller and scarcer. Rocks grow 
more and more plentiful. 

Now you pass the tree-line ! Now you see 
only gray-green moss, and rocks are all around 
you. There is, in the moss, a dainty, little, 
white, mountain flower, which could not live 
where strawberries are ripe. 

Down below the country looks like a great 
map. Houses, trees, and even the other moun- 
tains begin to look small. You look from the 
car windows down great chasms which almost 
frighten you, they are so deep. You look up 
again to the mountain top, onl}^ to feel that the 
way is so steep you can never get there. 

Now you come close enough to get a good 
look at the hotel on the summit. You pass a 
heap of stones, which tells a sad story. On 
that spot died of cold and exposure one of a 

[ 183] 


STORIES OF OUR COUNTRY 


party who were climbing the mountain. They 
were caught in a storm and did not know how 
close they were to the house on the top. They 
did not find it out until it was too late. 

At last you reach the top, and the world 
seems spread out below you. It is so cold, 
however, that you are glad to go inside and 
get a warm supper. In two hours you have 
traveled from summer to winter. 

You sit for a while in the office near the big 
fire. You make friends with the big dog and 
look at the things which are for sale. You buy 
a Summit House postal card, and write to your 
friends from the mountain top. 

You go to bed early, for you are going to 
get up in time to see the sun rise. It is very 
still. No sound but the night wind strikes 
your ears. You think Mount Washington a 
sad and lonely place in which to live, and you 
wonder what it is like in mid-winter. 

At last you fall asleep, but you seem hardly 
to have closed your eyes before there is a 
knock at the door. There are other knocks 
up and down the hall for every one is being 
waked up. 


[ 184] 



up in time to see the sun rise.” 




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It is only a little after three o’clock, and you 
eat your breakfast in a queer, gray light. 

Wrapping up as warmly as possible, for 
there has been a sharp frost, you go out on the 
platform to see the sun rise. 

If it is a perfectly clear day you see a sight 
which you never forget, but it is not often per- 
fectly clear. Even when the day is to be fine, 
there is so much cloud and mist on the moun- 
tain top that the sun is up before one knows it. 

It was so when I was there. After watch- 
ing and waiting in vain for a long time, we saw 
a red disc behind the clouds. The sun had 
risen long ago. As it grew lighter we saw 
what seemed to be many shining lakes among 
the mountains below. We were surprised to 
learn that they were not lakes, but clouds. 
We were above the clouds. 

The going down seemed easier than the 
coming up. Little by little we came again 
into the summer land and soon the great 
Mount Washington was towering above us. 


[ 185] 



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